Age- and sex-related differences in extra-hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor

""To determine whether differences in LDLr behavior in extra-hepatic tissues and whether extra-hepatic receptors could differentially. contribute to cholesterol homeostasis under physiological conditions, we evaluated the presence and regulation of LDLr from both a. gender and an aging perspective. We used the brain cortex, the gastrocnemius, and the heart ventricle of 3- and 12-month-old male and. female rats. We observed a protein decrease of total LDLr in 12-month-old female rat brains that was completely restored by 17-b. estradiol treatment. In the gastrocnemius, LDLr accumulates in the skeletal muscle in both male and female aged rats as a precursor. probably due to a glycosylation impairment. In the heart, no modifications were observed in either older rats or rats of a specific gender.. These data highlight a tissue-specific dysregulation of LDLr that is age- and gender-dependent.""