Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Award Date
1958
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department / School
Chemistry
Abstract
The recent widespread interest in the cause of atherosclerosis in humans has stimulated research in many fields of science. Articles describing cholesterol experiments on humans and lower animals indicate that an elevation of the blood level of cholesterol increases the incidence of atherosclerosis. Bloor and colleagues suggested an interrelationship between the metabolism of cholesterol and the highly unsaturated fatty acids of the blood. In these experiments it was found that the fatty acids present in neutral fat had the lowest unsaturation, the phospholipids contained the fatty acids of intermediate unsaturation, and the fatty acids present in cholesterol esters had the highest unsaturation. Because the fatty acids of the cholesterol esters are primarily the unsaturated ones and the unsaturated fatty acids are inducive to a lowering of the serum cholesterol level, it was of interest to study the mechanism controlling the formation of these esters. The function of the cholesterol esters, their role in atherosclerosis, and the part they play in the transport and metabolism of each lipid constituent are, at this time, not clear.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Cholesterol
Description
Includes bibliographical references
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
42
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Recommended Citation
Withrow, Marvin Lee, "Studies on the Analysis and Esterification of Cholesterol" (1958). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2549.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/2549