The Use of Stable and Radioactive Sterol Tracers as a Tool to Investigate Cholesterol Degradation to Bile Acids in Humans in Vivo 英文参考文献.docVIP

Molecules 2012, 17, 1939-1968; doi:10.3390/moleculeOPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 /journal/molecules Review The Use of Stable and Radioactive Sterol Tracers as a Tool to Investigate Cholesterol Degradation to Bile Acids in Humans in Vivo Marco Bertolotti 1,*, Andrea Crosignani 2 and Marina Del Puppo 3 1 Divisone di Geriatria, Dipartimento di Medicina, Endocrinologia, Metabolismo e Geriatria, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Nuovo Ospedale Civile, Via Giardini 1355, Modena 41126, Italy 2 Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Epatologia e Gastroenterologia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale San Paolo, Via Di Rudinì 8, Milano 20142, Italy 3 Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, Monza 20052, Italy * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: marco.bertolotti@unimore.it; Tel.: +39-059-396-1802; Fax: +39-059-396-1335. Received: 13 January 2012; in revised form: 3 February 2012 / Accepted: 8 February 2012 / Published: 16 February 2012 Abstract: Alterations of cholesterol homeostasis represent important risk factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Different clinical-experimental approaches have been devised to study the metabolism of cholesterol and particularly the synthesis of bile acids, its main catabolic products. Most evidence in humans has derived from studies utilizing the administration of labeled sterols; these have several advantages over in vitro assay of enzyme activity and expression, requiring an invasive procedure such as a liver biopsy, or the determination of fecal sterols, which is cumbersome and not commonly available. Pioneering evidence with administration of radioactive sterol derivatives has allowed to characterize the alterations of cholesterol metabolism and degradation in different situations, including spontaneous disease conditions, aging, a