THE DIVERSE ACTIONS OF LINDANE IN RAT ENTEROCYTES - INTERACTIONS WITH LIPID-METABOLISM AND MEMBRANE FLUIDITY

Isolated rat enterocytes incorporated [1-14C]acetate into different lipid classes in a time dependent process. The incorporation was modified by lindane, which severely decreased the radioactive acetate incorporated into cholesterol. Lindane also decreased the [1-14C]acetate degradation to CO2. However, cholesterol and phospholipid contents in isolated enterocytes from 12-day lindane-intoxicated rats were increased. A possible solution to these differences could involve a resistence to membrane disordering by lindane through a regulatory mechanism that would balance the amount of cholesterol and phospholipid classes in enterocytes of lindane-injected rats. This regulatory mechanism could also explain the lack of changes in membrane fluidity in enterocytes of lindane-injected rats, while the fluidity increases in enterocytes incubated with lindane. © 1993 by Academic Press, Inc.