Bile salts and cholesterol in the pathogenesis of target cells in obstructive jaundice

Abstract

Free cholesterol is in rapid equilibrium between serum lipoproteins and red cells.

Alteration of Adult Erythrocyte Lipids during In Vivo Fetal Circulation

“…4). Plasma lipid values for IUT patient 8 fell well within the range noted for IUT patients 1-7 and only the combined group values (IUT patients [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] are shown. Total plasma lipids and cholesterol showed no significant differences among the three groups.…”

“…When compared with adult erythrocytes, phospholipid distribution in neonatal erythrocytes shows lower percentages of phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine coupled with increased percentages of sphingomyelin and combined phosphatidyl serine + phosphatidyl inositol [22]. The possible influence of decreased plasma levels of lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) on erythrocyte membrane lipid composition has been emphasized both in patients with obstructive jaundice and in patients with a congenital deficiency of this enzyme [7,11]. The LCAT catalyzes the transfer of one fatty acid from lecithin to unesterified cholesterol, resulting in the formation of lysolecithin and cholesterol ester [12].…”

“…Thus it would appear unlikely that the lower levels of LCAT in neonatal serum are instrumental in influencing the normal erythrocyte lipid pattern significantly. Indeed, if decreased LCAT were an important factor in the normal neonate, an increased level of erythrocyte phosphatidyl choline, rather than a decreased level, wotdd be anticipated, as is seen in patients with obstructive jaundice or familial absence of LCAT [7,11,23].…”

Membrane fluidity, cholesterol and allosteric transitions of membrane‐bound Mg2+‐ATPase, (Na+ + K+)‐ATPase and acetylcholinesterase from rat erythrocytes

“…This hypothesis, coupled with the finding that the allosteric behavior of membranous enzymes is influenced by membranal fatty acid composition [4,5,11,12,[23][24][25][26][27] and by slight variations .in its cholesterol content as reported here, suggest that the in vivo local changes in the lipid zone where the membrane-bound enzymes are located might be a physiological control for the biological processes in which cooperative changes take place. According to this suggestion, it would be interesting to evaluate the allosteric parameters of the enzymes from membranes under some pathological conditions where their fatty acid composition and/or cholesterol content are altered, as hereditary spherocitosis [28], obstructive jaundice [29], phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency [30], atherosclerosis [31] and others.…”

Effects of malotilate on rat erythrocytes.

“…In man, several hemolytic anemias associated with changes of membrane lipids are known, for example, spur cell anemia, abetalipopro teinemia (17) and lecitin:cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) deficiency (18). Among these, obstructive jaundice has the most common characteristics to those induced by malotilate with respect to lipid metabolism (15). In some patients with obstructive jaundice, target cells appear, and osmotic resistance increases.…”