Turnover of [14C] sucrose HDL and uptake by organs in the normal or genetically hypercholesterolemic (RICO) rat using a constant infusion method.

The turnover and tissular uptake of HDL (d 1.095-1.21) have been compared in normocholesterolemic or genetically hypercholesterolemic rats by a constant infusion method of [14C] sucrose labelled HDL for 8 h. The HDL clearance rate was not significantly smaller in the RICO than in the normocholesterolemic animal (320 +/- 22 microliters.h-1 versus 366 +/- 24 microliters.h-1 per 100 g of rat). It was the same case for the fractional catabolic rate, respectively equal to 7.8 and 9.4 +/- 0.6%.h-1. For both strains, liver and skeletal muscle were the main catabolic sites for HDL. The HDL uptake rates in intestine or kidney were 3-4-fold smaller than those in the liver. In the RICO rat, intestine, testis and adrenals showed a lesser HDL uptake capacity (expressed per g of organ) than the normocholesterolemic rat.