Cholesterol Synthesis and Its Uptake by Primary Hepatoma Cells in vitro

Abstract

Cholesterol synthesis from acetate and cholesterol uptake from the incubation medium by cells isolated from human primary hepatoma were investigated in vitro, compared with those from the transplanted hepatoma cells of rat or normal human and rat hepatocytes.
The cholesterol synthesis of primary hepatoma cells was as active as normal hepatocytes and was suppresed by the addition of serum or cholesterol-phospholipid dispersion to the incubation mediumsimilarly in the case in normal human and rat liver.
The human hepatoma cells took up cholesterol from serum as well as cholesterolphospholipid dispersion in vitro as do normal hepatocytes. On the contrary the transplanted hepatoma of rats did not take up cholesterol and the cholesterol synthesis was not affected by the addition of serum or cholesterol-phospholipid dispersion.