The hepatic secretion of lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase in rats with increased secretion of triglycerides due to ventromedial hypothalamic lesions.

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is postulated to take care of excess cholesterol formed during metabolism of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins. To test this hypothesis the relationship between secretion of LCAT and TG have been investigated in rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions which lead to increased hepatic secretion of TG. 1. The increased plasma concentration of TG in rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions was positively correlated to the activity of LCAT in plasma. 2. Incubation of hepatocytes isolated from such rats revealed a positive linear correlation between secretion of TG and of LCAT. 3. The secretion of unesterified cholesterol was neither correlated to the secretion of the acyltransferase nor to the TG.