Relative rates of incorporation of esterified cholesterol into human very low density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins. In vitro studies of two separate pathways.

It has been shown previously that there are two pathways by which the esterified cholesterol formed in human plasma in the reaction catalysed by lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase may be delivered to very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and low density lipoproteins (LDL): (a) an indirect pathway in which esterified cholesterol which was incorporated initially into high density lipoproteins (HDL) is transferred subsequently to VLDL and LDL in a process mediated by an esterified cholesterol transfer/exchange protein and (b) a direct pathway in which a small proportion of the esterified cholesterol formed in the lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase reaction is delivered to VLDL and LDL directly from its site of synthesis via a pathway which bypasses the bulk HDL fraction. These present studies have been designed to examine the incorporation of esterified cholesterol into VLDL relative to that into LDL via each of these two pathways. It has been found that a delivery of esterified cholesterol from HDL to VLDL and LDL via the indirect pathway has a marked preference for VLDL over LDL; equating the concentrations of esterified cholesterol in the two fractions revealed an incorporation into VLDL which was 7-11 times greater than that into LDL. By contrast, delivery via the direct pathway showed a marginal preference for LDL over VLDL.