The Causal Role of Plasma Albumin Deficiency in Experimental Nephrotic Hyperlipemia and Hypercholesteremia 1

Previous studies ( 1-8) from this laboratory have indicated that the hypercholesteremia and hyperlipemia occurring in the experimental ne- phrotic syndrome induced in rats by injection of anti-rat kidney seruim are due primarily to some intravascular "trapping" phenomenion whereby the animal appears unable to remove either endog- enously-produced or dietary-derived cholesterol and lipid from the plasma with its customary efficiency. However, since renal changes seem- ingly initiate the total nephrotic syndrome, it seems probable that this "trapping" of cholesterol and lipid which occurs in the plasma in this syndrome is related in some manner to such renal changes. In the present study, an attempt was made to de- termine the nature of this relationship. The ob- servations herein reported suggest (a) that the hypercholesteremia and the hyperlipemia observed in the experimental nephrotic syndrome are initi- ated and maintained by the external renal loss of some plasma constituent, and (b) that this sub- stance specifically is albumin.