Abstract
Summary
The rate of disappearance of 3H-labeled cholesterol and its conversion into bile acids were measured in rats subjected to hypothalamic damage to their ventral medial nuclei, fornices, and the medial portions of their lateral hypothalamic areas. A significant reduction was found in both processes in the experimental rats. Also, the rate of incorporation of acetate-3H into newly synthesized bile acids was found to be reduced in hypothalamus-injured rats. These findings suggest that the hypercholesterolemia regularly appearing after this type of hypothalamic injury stems from a relative lag in the catabolic conversion of cholesterol into bile acids.
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