Effect of Diets Low in Organic Sulfur on Metabolism of Cholesterol-C¹⁴ in the Rat

¹ From the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Mechanisms involved in the hypercholesteremia of rats fed diets relatively deficient in organic sulfur were investigated. Acetate-C¹⁴ was injected into rats fed diets including alpha-protein and into methionine-supplemented rats. The rates of synthesis and elimination of cholesterol-C¹⁴ from tissues were studied. The biological half lives of cholesterol-C¹⁴ in all tissues were similar for both diet groups. The rate of incorporation of acetate into cholesterol was somewhat less in the livers of rats from the deficient group at 40 minutes after injection of the acetate. The ratio of cholesterol to fatty acid synthesis was similar for the two groups. The mean acetylation of a test dose of p-aminobenzoic acid was almost identical for the two groups.