Abstract
Summary
1. Numerous earlier investigators have maintained that they demonstrated a lower serum cholesterol concentration in blood from efferent than from afferent pulmonary vessels in experimental animals. These observations have been interpreted as indications of cholesterol breakdown in lung tissue. 2. Cholesterol, lipid phosphorus and total lipid concentrations were determined in blood from the left heart (brachial artery) and the right heart (pulmonary artery) in 9 patients. No decrease in lipid concentration in serum in the passage of blood through the lungs was demonstrated. 3. The difficulties in attempting to evaluate the quantitative enzyme activity of an organ solely by determination of the substrate concentration in afferent and efferent blood vessels is discussed.
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