26-hydroxycholesterol: regulation of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity in Chinese hamster ovary cell culture.

The effect of 26-hydroxycholesterol and other intermediates in bile acid synthesis on HMG-CoA reductase activity was studied in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture. Incubation of CHO cells for 5 hr in 0.25 microM 26-hydroxycholesterol caused a 40% inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase activity. All other intermediates tested including 3 beta-hydroxy-5-cholenoic acid and cholest-5-ene-3 beta,7 alpha,26-triol, oxidation products of 26-hydroxycholesterol, had little or no inhibitory effect. It is proposed that 26-hydroxycholesterol has a selective biological role in the regulation of cholesterol synthesis.