Summary
The metabolism of radiolabelled 125I-low density lipoprotein (LDL) was studied in cultured human dermal fibroblasts to
investigate potential mechanisms contributing to the accelerated development of cardiovascular
disease in patients treated chronically with corticosteroids. Fibroblasts exposed
for 48 hours to pooled lipoprotein-poor (d > 1.25gm/ml) serum from glucocorticoid-treated
patients showed an increased capacity to bind LDL (p <.001) compared to cells incubated
under identical conditions with pooled serum from controls. In addition, a significantly
(p < .001) reduced amount of soluble radioactive material appeared in the media indicating
that exposure of fibroblasts to corticosteroid serum also impaired their capacity
to degrade LDL. If this tendency of cultured cells to accumulate cholesterol-rich
lipoprotein when exposed to constituents of serum from these patients is present in
patients receiving long-term treatment with glucocorticoids, it might influence arterial
lipid accumulation and accelerate their developing cardiovascular disease.
Key-Words
Glucocorticoids
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Fibroblasts
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Low Density Lipoprotein
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Metabolism
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Atherogenesis
