Searched over 200M research papers
2 papers analyzed
These studies suggest that cholesterol is continuously cycled through various tissues and pools in the body rather than simply going away.
20 papers analyzed
Cholesterol does not simply "go away" but undergoes a complex process of turnover and equilibrium within the body. Research on cholesterol kinetics in rat tissues has shown that cholesterol in the body exists in different pools that are in fast or slow equilibrium with serum cholesterol. These pools are distributed across various tissues such as the liver, skeletal muscle, kidney, and adipose tissue.
In the liver and serum, cholesterol exhibits a two-component die-away curve over a period of 30 days, which then repeats in the subsequent 30 days. This indicates that cholesterol in these tissues reaches a steady state where it enters and exits at a consistent rate.
For skeletal muscle and kidney, cholesterol shows a slow buildup over two weeks, followed by a plateau, and then a two-component die-away. This suggests a more gradual process of cholesterol turnover in these tissues compared to the liver and serum.
Adipose tissue behaves differently, showing a high plateau of cholesterol levels from 30 minutes to 30 days, followed by a two-component die-away. The specific activity of cholesterol in adipose tissue remains higher than in serum at all times, indicating that adipose tissue sequesters a significant portion of cholesterol.
In vitro studies have shown that small amounts of solid cholesterol can dissolve in human serum over prolonged incubation. However, when cholesterol is administered in a non-physiological form, such as in suspensions stabilized by detergents, it disappears rapidly from circulation. This rapid disappearance contrasts with the more stable incorporation of cholesterol into serum lipoproteins, which mimics the natural transport mechanism of lipids in the body.
Cholesterol does not simply disappear but is part of a dynamic equilibrium within the body, involving various tissues and pools. The turnover rates and equilibrium states differ among tissues, with the liver and serum showing repetitive die-away curves, while skeletal muscle, kidney, and adipose tissue exhibit more complex patterns. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective strategies for managing cholesterol levels in metabolic studies and clinical settings.
Most relevant research papers on this topic