ORIGIN OF PLASMA LYSOPHOSPHATIDYCHOLINE - EVIDENCE FOR DIRECT HEPATIC SECRETION IN THE RAT

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 105  (2) , 190-194
Abstract
In the plasma, lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is formed by the action of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) when a fatty acid is removed from plasma phosphatidylcholine (PC) and transferred to cholesterol. To determine whether plasma LPC might also be generated by the hydrolysis of hepatic PC, phospholipid production by the isolated perfused rat liver was assessed. Bile duct cannulated livers were perfused with bile salt and a recirculating, lipid-free medium containing albumin. LPC accumulated in the perfusate to a greater extent than any other phospholipid, exceeding the accumulation of PC (the 2nd most prevalent phospholipid) 2-fold. Perfusate LPC was not formed by hydrolysis of PC in the perfusate and was not dependent on the presence of infused bile salt. LPC that accumulated in the perfusate was highly unsaturated and markedly dissimilar to the more saturated LPC that results from the activity of LCAT. Apparently, the isolated liver directly secretes LPC, which is presumably generated from hydrolysis of hepatic PC. Because plasma LPC is to a great extent unsaturated in the live rat, direct hepatic secretion apparently is a quantitatively important source of plasma LPC.

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