The exchangeability of human erythrocyte membrane cholesterol.

A new method has been used to determine what fraction of human erythrocyte cholesterol is available for exchange with plasma unesterified cholesterol. Erythrocytes labeled with 3H-cholesterol by this exchange process were incubated with sonicated phosphatidylcholine vesicles, giving rise to a net movement of cholesterol out of the cells. The specific activity of cholesterol taken up by the vesicles depended on the length of time of incubation. Initially the specific activity in the vesicles was greater than that in the cells, but after approximately 10% of cell cholesterol had been removed, the specific activity of subsequently removed cholesterol was equal to that of the remaining erythrocyte cholesterol. We conclude from these data that a) all of the cholesterol in the erythrocyte is exchangeable with plasma, and b) approximately 10% of erythrocyte cholesterol is in a more rapidly exchangeable pool than the remainder.