Effect of 4-cholesten-3-one on lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity and the lipid concentration in the serum of normocholesterolaemic and hypercholesterolaemic rats.

: Male Wistar strain rats and PHHC (Prague hereditary hypercholesterolaemic) rats received an intraperitoneal injection of 4-cholesten-3-one for five days. Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity and total cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid levels were determined in their serum. A significant drop in the total cholesterol level was found in normocholesterolaemic Wistar rats after the administration of cholestenone. The serum triglyceride content remained unaltered and the phospholipid concentration showed a downward trend. Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity was also significantly reduced. In PHHC rats, no significant changes occurred in total cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid levels, or in lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity, after the administration of 4-cholesten-3-one. A comparison of serum 4-cholesten-3-one concentrations in the two groups of experimental animals shows that the turnover time for this substance in hypercholesterolaemic rats is only half as long as in normocholesterolaemic rats.