Movement of free cholesterol from lipoproteins or lipid vesicles into erythrocytes. Acceleration by ethanol in vitro

CK Daniels and DB Goldstein

Human erythrocytes were incubated with heat-inactivated plasma, and the transfer of cholesterol to the red cells was followed to equilibrium over 24 hr. When cholesterol-enriched plasma was used, there was a net flow of sterol into red cells. Ethanol, in a concentration-related manner, accelerated the cholesterol transfer without appreciably affecting the final sterol content of the erythrocytes at equilibrium. Ethanol also accelerated the exchange of tritiated cholesterol between normal or cholesterol-enriched plasma and red cells, whether or not there was a net cholesterol flow. Ethanol speeded up sterol transfer from several cholesterol donors, including prelabeled erythrocytes, low- density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins, and egg lecithin vesicles. Ethanol (0.35 M) increased the rate constant of the transfer by about 30-40% with different sterol donors. These observations may be related to the previously reported increase in cholesterol in the brain and red cell membranes of mice after chronic treatment with ethanol.

Volume 21, Issue 3, pp. 694-700, 05/01/1982
Copyright © 1982 by American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

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