Lipid metabolism in cultured cells. III. Cholesterol excretion process

Abstract

Mammalian cells grown in tissue culture have been shown previously to take up considerable quantities of cholesterol from the growth medium. When cells grown on cholesterol-C14 supplemented medium were transferred to unlabeled medium containing serum, excretion of cholesterol into the outside medium took place. When cell cholesterol was labeled by intracellular synthesis from mevalonate-C14 precursor, it also was excreted readily into the serum medium. This excretion did not take place in serum-free medium and was found to be stimulated by a nondialyzable, thermolabile component of human serum. Horse, chicken, calf, and rabbit serum also showed stimulation ability. The process of cholesterol excretion appears to be of general occurrence. It was found in both strains of cultured cells examined (mouse fibroblasts and lymphoblasts) and also in strips of rabbit aorta incubated in vitro.