The role of hepatic fat-storing (stellate) cells in retinoid metabolism
article
Both parenchymal and fat-storing cell are important in retinoid metabolism. The evidence accumulated thus far demonstrates that fat-storing cells do not only contain most of the retinoid stores of the liver, but also contain enzymes and binding proteins necessary for several important steps in retinoid metabolism. Major issues remaining to be solved include the molecular nature of the transfer of retinoids from parenchymal cells to fat-storing cells and vice versa. The biochemical and topographical aspects of the various metabolic pathways of retinol in parenchymal and in fat-storing cells and their regulation are also largely unknown. Questions concerning the molecular mechanisms underlying the uptake of retinoids, and also the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the physiological processing of metabolites other than retinol have to be studied. Elucidation of these issues will depend on refined application and more extensive combination of cell biological and biochemical techniques. These techniques include cell isolation and in vitro incubation, subcellular fractionation, cell organelle purification, analysis of retinoid metabolites, kinetic analyses and electronmicroscopic immunocytochemistry and electronmicroscopic autoradiography. Physiological ligands such as the [3H]retinoid chylomicron remnants and the complexes of [3H]retinol and binding proteins should be used to obtain data that are relevant to the in vivo situation. These techniques may allow the elucidation of the roles that cells and cell organelles play in retinoid metabolism, and the functions of the various retinoids in the liver.
Chemicals/CAS: retinol, 68-26-8, 82445-97-4; Retinoids
Chemicals/CAS: retinol, 68-26-8, 82445-97-4; Retinoids
TNO Identifier
230478
ISSN
02709139
Source
Hepatology, 7(6), pp. 1368-1371.
Pages
1368-1371
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