Ester cholesterol

One limitation of enzyme replacement therapy is the targeting of enzyme proteins to appropriate sites of substrate accumulation. Administration of a cholesterol esterase conjugated to albumin results in the degradation of pathologic cholesterol ester accumulations within the lysosomes of fibroblasts from a patient with cholesterol ester storage disease (246). 

Although lanosterol may appear similar to cholesterol in structure, another 20 steps are required to convert lanosterol to cholesterol (Figure 25.35). The enzymes responsible for this are all associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. The primary pathway involves 7-dehydroeholesterol as the penultimate intermediate. An alternative pathway, also composed of many steps, produces the intermediate desmosterol. Reduction of the double bond at C-24 yields cholesterol. Cholesterol esters—a principal form of circulating cholesterol—are synthesized by acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferases (ACAT) on the cytoplasmic face of the endoplasmic reticulum. 

When most lipids circulate in the body, they do so in the form of lipoprotein complexes. Simple, unesterified fatty acids are merely bound to serum albumin and other proteins in blood plasma, but phospholipids, triacylglycerols, cholesterol, and cholesterol esters are all transported in the form of lipoproteins. At various sites in the body, lipoproteins interact with specific receptors and enzymes that transfer or modify their lipid cargoes. It is now customary to classify lipoproteins according to their densities (Table 25.1). The densities are... 

HDL and VLDL are assembled primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum of the liver (with smaller amounts produced in the intestine), whereas chylomicrons form in the intestine. LDL is not synthesized directly, but is made from VLDL. LDL appears to be the major circulatory complex for cholesterol and cholesterol esters. The primary task of chylomicrons is to transport triacylglycerols. Despite all this, it is extremely important to note that each of these lipoprotein classes contains some of each type of lipid. The relative amounts of HDL and LDL are important in the disposition of cholesterol in the body and in the development of arterial plaques (Figure 25.36). The structures of the various... 

The livers and intestines of animals are the primary sources of circulating lipids. Chylomicrons carry triacylglycerol and cholesterol esters from the intestines to other tissues, and VLDLs carry lipid from liver, as shown in Figure 25.38. At... 

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) have much longer life spans in the body (5 to 6 days) than other lipoproteins. Newly formed HDL contains virtually no cholesterol ester. However, over time, cholesterol esters are accumulated through the action of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), a 59-kD glycoprotein associated with HDLs. Another associated protein, cholesterol ester transfer protein, transfers some of these esters to VLDL and LDL. Alternatively, HDLs function to return cholesterol and cholesterol esters to the liver. This latter process apparently explains the correlation between high HDL levels and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. (High LDL levels, on the other hand, are correlated with an increased risk of coronary artery and cardiovascular disease.)... 

The main transport form of lipids in the cir culation. They are spherical macromolecules of 10-1200 nm diameter-composed of a core of neutral lipids (mostly cholesterol ester and triglycerides) surrounded by an amphipathic shell of polar phospholipids and cholesterol. Embedded in the shell of lipoproteins are apolipoproteins that are essential for assembly of theparticles in tissues that secrete lipoproteins, and for their recognition by target cells. 

Note that the cholesterol esters are markedly depressed in this patients serum and the free cholesterol band represents most of the cholesterol in the serum. 

Figure 38, Patterns obtained from the extract of 10 fd of serum for lipid fraction by thin-layer chromatography. In sequence, starting from the bottom, phospholipids, pee cholesterol, cholesterol aniline as an internal standard, triglycerides, and cholesterol esters. The free fatty acids occur between cholesterol and the internal standard and are only barely visible in the print, on the extreme right. They are readily visible, normally, to the eye.

Figure 39, A lipid pattern from normal serum which has been scanned for density of the thin-layer chromatograph, showing the various peaks, P, phospholipids C, cholesterol F, free fatty acids S, internal standard, T, triglycerides CE, cholesterol esters.

Figure 12.7 Schematic diagram showing the role of LDL glycatlon and oxidation in foam-cell formation [adapted from Lyons (1991) and Esterbauer et al. (1992)]. C, cholesterol CE, cholesterol ester.

FIGURE 9-1. Lipoprotein structure. Lipoproteins are a diverse group of particles with varying size and density. They contain variable amounts of core cholesterol esters and triglycerides, and have varying numbers and types of surface apolipoproteins. The apolipoproteins function to direct the processing and removal of individual lipoprotein particles. (Reprinted from LipoScience, Inc. with permission.)... 

FIGURE 9. Endogenous lipoprotein metabolism. In liver cells, cholesterol and triglycerides are packaged into VLDL particles and exported into blood where VLDL is converted to IDL. Intermediate-density lipoprotein can be either cleared by hepatic LDL receptors or further metabolized to LDL. LDL can be cleared by hepatic LDL receptors or can enter the arterial wall, contributing to atherosclerosis. Acetyl CoA, acetyl coenzyme A Apo, apolipoprotein C, cholesterol CE, cholesterol ester FA, fatty acid HL, hepatic lipase HMG CoA, 3-hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl coenzyme A IDL, intermediate-density lipoprotein LCAT, lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase LDL, low-density lipoprotein LPL, lipoprotein lipase VLDL, very low-density lipoprotein. 

Niacin (vitamin B3) has broad applications in the treatment of lipid disorders when used at higher doses than those used as a nutritional supplement. Niacin inhibits fatty acid release from adipose tissue and inhibits fatty acid and triglyceride production in liver cells. This results in an increased intracellular degradation of apolipoprotein B, and in turn, a reduction in the number of VLDL particles secreted (Fig. 9-4). The lower VLDL levels and the lower triglyceride content in these particles leads to an overall reduction in LDL cholesterol as well as a decrease in the number of small, dense LDL particles. Niacin also reduces the uptake of HDL-apolipoprotein A1 particles and increases uptake of cholesterol esters by the liver, thus improving the efficiency of reverse cholesterol transport between HDL particles and vascular tissue (Fig. 9-4). Niacin is indicated for patients with elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and elevated LDL cholesterol.3... 

The lipid layer, which consists of cholesterol esters, phospholipids, and triglycerides, prevents and regulates aqueous evaporation from the tear film. 

PC = phosphatidylcholine, PE = phosphatidylethanolamine, PS = phosphatidylserine, PI = phosphati-dylinositol, Sph = sphingomyelin, FA = fatty acid, PA = phosphatidic acid, LPI = lyso-PI, CL = car-diolipin, LPC = Iyso-PC, CHO = cholesterol, CE = cholesterol ester, TG = triglycerides. 

Under the same conditions, tricyclo[5.3.1.0]undecanes are accessible from 5-sub-stituted 2-cyclohexen-l-one as 2-370 with a shorter tether by one CH2-group. Recently, another Michael/Michael/aldol transformation was employed by Paulsen and coworkers to obtain access to the central aromatic core of compounds as 2-376 (Scheme 2.89) [206]. It is of value that such products are thought to act as cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors, and the application of these drugs should prevent reduction of the HDL-cholesterol level and therefore reduce the risk of coronary heart diseases [207]. 

Cholesterol esters are produced by transferring an acyl moiety from acyl-CoA or from phosphatidylcholine onto the cholesterol hydroxyl group. The latter process is catalyzed by phosphatidylcholine cholesterol acyltransferase ... 

Cholesterol esters are produced especially actively in the intestinal mucosa and in the liver. 

In 1998 the REGRESS group published data, which showed that the TaqlB polymorphism in intron 1 of the cholesterol-ester transfer protein (CETP) gene predicts whether men with coronary artery disease would benefit from treatment with pravastatin or not [60]. Pravastatin therapy slowed the progression of coronary athero-... 

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