Ultrastructural and physiological evidence for corticosteroid-induced alterations in hepatic production of very low density lipoprotein particles.

The cause of corticosteroid-induced hyperlipoproteinemia was studied in rats and mice. An ultrastructural morphometric method was utilized to demonstrate alterations in hepatocyte very low density lipoprotein content, and Triton WR 1339-treated rats were used to identify changes in the removal of very low density lipoproteins from plasma. The results show that corticosteroid treatment results in (1) an increase in both plasma triglyceride and cholesterol levels, (2) an increase in rate of accumulation of triglyceride after inhibition of very low density lipoprotein removal by Triton, and (3) an increase in the number and size of Golgi-associated very low density lipoprotein particles in hepatocytes. These combined results suggest that corticosteroids induce hyperlipoproteinemia through increased hepatic production of very low density lipoproteins.