Cholesterol, sources

Macrophage cholesterol accumulation and foam cell formation are the hallmark of early atherogenesis. Cholesterol accumulation in macrophages can result from impaired balance between external and internal cholesterol sources. LDL, which... 

Figure 11 Saliva and serum IgA (primary and secondary) responses following orally administered soluble antigen Streptococcus mutans cell wall extract open circles, soluble antigen solid circles, liposome-encapsulated material) (phosphotidylcholine, phosphotidic acid, cholesterol). Source From Ref. 394.

We used chick-embryo hepatocytes to examine the availability of different cholesterol sources as precursors for bile acids. Our... 

Cholesterol when isolated from natural sources is obtained as a single enantiomer The observed rotation a of a 0 3 g sample of cholesterol in 15 ml of chloroform solution contained in a 10 cm polarimeter tube is -0 78° Cal culate the specific rotation of cholesterol... 

Phosphatidylcholine is an important component of cell membranes but cell mem branes are more than simply lipid bilayers Although their composition varies with their source a typical membrane contains about equal amounts of lipid and protein and the amount of cholesterol m the lipid fraction can approximate that of phosphatidylcholine The lipid fraction is responsible for the structure of the membrane Phosphatidyl choline provides the bilayer that is the barrier between what is inside the cell and what IS outside Cholesterol intermingles with the phosphatidylcholine to confer an extra measure of rigidity to the membrane... 

The outer layer or cortex of the adrenal gland is the source of a large group of sub stances known as corticosteroids Like the bile acids they are derived from cholesterol by oxidation with cleavage of a portion of the alkyl substituent on the D ring Cortisol IS the most abundant of the corticosteroids but cortisone is probably the best known Cortisone is commonly prescribed as an antiinflammatory drug especially m the treat ment of rheumatoid arthritis... 

Nutritional Value of Milk Products. Milk is considered one of the principal sources of nutrition for humans. Some people are intolerant to one or more components of milk so must avoid the product or consume a treated product. One example is intolerance to lactose in milk. Fluid milk is available in which the lactose has been treated to make it more digestible. The consumption of milk fat, either in fluid milk or in products derived from milk, has decreased markedly in the 1990s. Whole milk sales decreased 12% between 1985 and 1988, whereas the sales of low fat milk increased 165%, and skimmed milk sales increased 48% (35). Nutritionists have recommended that fat consumed provide no more than 30 calories, and that consumption of calories be reduced. Generally, a daily diet of 2000—3000 cal/d is needed depending on many variables, such as gender, type of work, age, body responses, exercise, etc. Further, there is concern about cholesterol [57-88-5] and density of fat consumed. Complete information on the nutritive value of milk and milk products is provided on product labels (36) (see also Table 4). 

Defects in the LDL receptor have been particularly well explored as a basis of the disease familial hypercholesterolemia (93,111). A number of defects that collectively impair LDL receptor trafficking, binding, or deUvery underHe this disease where LDL and semm cholesterol rise to levels that mediate early cardiovascular mortaUty. Studies of the population distribution of this defect can determine the source of the original mutation. Thus, in Quebec, about 60% of the individuals suffering from familial hypercholesterolemia have a particular 10-kdobase deletion mutation in the LDL gene (112). This may have arisen from an original founder of the French Canadian settiement in the seventeenth century. 

The quaHty, ie, level of impurities, of the fats and oils used in the manufacture of soap is important in the production of commercial products. Fats and oils are isolated from various animal and vegetable sources and contain different intrinsic impurities. These impurities may include hydrolysis products of the triglyceride, eg, fatty acid and mono/diglycerides proteinaceous materials and particulate dirt, eg, bone meal and various vitamins, pigments, phosphatides, and sterols, ie, cholesterol and tocopherol as weU as less descript odor and color bodies. These impurities affect the physical properties such as odor and color of the fats and oils and can cause additional degradation of the fats and oils upon storage. For commercial soaps, it is desirable to keep these impurities at the absolute minimum for both storage stabiHty and finished product quaHty considerations. 

Initial steroid research involved isolation of sterols and bile acids from natural sources. DeFourcroy is generally credited with the discovery of cholesterol [57-88-5] (2) in 1789 (3). In 1848, choHc acid [81-25-4] (3) was isolated from the saponification of ox bile and its elementary composition deterrnined as... 

Provitamin D. Provitamin is made from cholesterol, and its commercial production begias with the isolation of cholesterol from one of its natural sources. Cholesterol occurs ia many animals, and is generally extracted from wool grease obtained by washing wool after it is sheared from sheep. This grease is a mixture of fatty-acid esters, which contain ca 15 wt % cholesterol. The alcohol fraction is obtained after saponification, and the cholesterol is separated, usually by complexation with 2iac chloride, followed by decomplexation and crystallisation. Cholesterol can also be extracted from the spiaal cords and brains of animals, especially catde, and from fish oils. 

With the shift of raw materials, first from cholesterol to bile acids, then to plant sapogenins such as diosgenin, 17- keto steroids were no longer directly available, and improved methods for the degradation of 20-ketopregnanes (which were the principal products from these new sources) had to be developed. 

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... 

Trace each of the carbon atoms of mevalonate through the synthesis of cholesterol, and determine the source (i.e., the position in the mevalonate structure) of each carbon in the final structure. 

Assume that you have a culture of a Mycobacterium sp which is able to use cholesterol or -sitosterol as its sole source of carbon and energy. 

Figure 25-5. Metabolism of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in reverse cholesteroi transport. (LCAT, lecithinxholesterol acyltransferase C, cholesterol CE, cholesteryl ester PL, phospholipid A-l, apolipoprotein A-l SR-Bl, scavenger receptor B1 ABC-1, ATP binding cassette transporter 1.) Prep-HDL, HDLj, HDL3—see Table 25-1. Surplus surface constituents from the action of lipoprotein lipase on chylomicrons and VLDL are another source of preP-HDL. Hepatic lipase activity is increased by androgens and decreased by estrogens, which may account for higher concentrations of plasma HDLj in women.

Rice bran is the richest natural source of B-complex vitamins. Considerable amounts of thiamin (Bl), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5) and pyridoxin (B6) are available in rice bran (Table 17.1). Thiamin (Bl) is central to carbohydrate metabolism and kreb s cycle function. Niacin (B3) also plays a key role in carbohydrate metabolism for the synthesis of GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor). As a pre-cursor to NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-oxidized form), it is an important metabolite concerned with intracellular energy production. It prevents the depletion of NAD in the pancreatic beta cells. It also promotes healthy cholesterol levels not only by decreasing LDL-C but also by improving HDL-C. It is the safest nutritional approach to normalizing cholesterol levels. Pyridoxine (B6) helps to regulate blood glucose levels, prevents peripheral neuropathy in diabetics and improves the immune function. 

Pectin is found in apples and in the white membrane that surrounds the sections of oranges, grapefruits, or other citrus fruits, as well as in several other sources. Powdered pectin made from apple cores is also available, but scientists have found that eating apples or citrus fruit has a much better effect on lowering blood cholesterol levels than eating powered pectin does. They believe eating the whole fruit is better because the body also needs vitamin C to convert cholesterol into bile acids. Fruits contain vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, but the powdered pectin does not. 

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