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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #171449
Title: DIETARY FATTY ACIDS AND CHOLESTEROL DIFFERENTIALLY MODULATE HDL CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM IN GOLDEN-SYRIAN HAMSTERS

Author
item DORFMAN, SUZANNE - TUFTS/HNRCA
item WANG, SHU - TUFTS/HNRCA
item VEGA-LOPEZ, SONIA - TUFTS/HNRCA
item JAUHIAINEN, MATTI - FINLAND NATL PUB HLTH INS
item LICHTENSTEIN, ALICE - TUFTS/HNRCA

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2004
Publication Date: 3/1/2005
Citation: Dorfman, S.E., Wang, S., Vega-Lopez, S., Jauhiainen, M., Lichtenstein, A.H. 2005. Dietary fatty acids and cholesterol differentially modulate HDL cholesterol metabolism in Golden-Syrian hamsters. Journal of Nutrition. 135(3):492-498.

Interpretive Summary: Dietary fat is made up of different classes of fatty acids. Both saturated and trans fatty acid consumption in humans is associated with a positive risk in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and increased consumption results in an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Unsaturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption is associated with a negative risk in CVD and increased consumption results in lower LDL cholesterol levels. We investigated the effect of different fatty acids on HDL (good) cholesterol metabolism in Golden-Syrian hamsters. An increase in HDL cholesterol is associated with a decrease risk of CVD due to its role in the removal of cholesterol from the periphery for transport back to the liver. As a result, our data supports the association between a lower risk from CVD with unsaturated fat feeding. HDL cholesterol levels were lower in these animals; however, components involved in the protective role of HDL were higher relative to the saturated fed hamsters. Unlike humans, hamsters do not respond in a deleterious manner to trans fatty acids.

Technical Abstract: Dietary fatty acids alter HDL cholesterol concentrations, presumably through mechanisms related to reverse cholesterol transport. The effect of dietary fats (coconut oil, butter, traditional stick margarine, soybean oil, canola oil) differing in fatty acid profile on this anti-atherogenic process was assessed with respect to plasma lipids; exogenous and endogenous lecithin- cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP), phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) activities; and LCAT, apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and scavenger receptor B class-1 (SR-B1) mRNA abundance. Golden-Syrian hamsters (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA) were fed a chow-based diet containing 10g/100g experimental fat and 0.1g/100g cholesterol for 6 weeks. In the first comparison, canola and soybean oils, relative to butter, resulted in lower HDL cholesterol concentrations. Canola oil, relative to butter, resulted in higher exogenous LCAT activity and both soybean and canola oils resulted in higher hepatic abundance of apo A-I mRNA and SR-B1 mRNA. In the second comparison, butter, relative to margarine, coconut and soybean oils, resulted in higher non-HDL cholesterol concentrations. Endogenous and exogenous LCAT, CETP and PLTP activities were similar in hamsters fed margarine or saturated fat diets, despite lower hepatic LCAT, apo A-I and SR-B1 mRNA abundance, suggesting changes in available substrate and/or a post-translational modification may have been involved in lipoprotein changes. These results suggest that lower HDL cholesterol concentrations as a result of canola and soybean oil feeding may not be detrimental due to their ability to increase components involved in the reverse cholesterol transport process and thus may retard the progression of atherosclerosis.