title: Dietary fat and fatty acids modulate cholesterol cholelithiasis in the hamster.
abstract: We tested two hypotheses, i) whether the type and the amount of fat in the diet will affect the formation of cholesterol gallstones in the hamsters, and ii) whether palmitic acid, a major fatty acid component of butterfat, can act as a potentiator of cholesterol cholelithiasis in the hamster. Young, male golden Syrian hamsters (Sasco) were fed a semipurified diet containing casein, corn starch, cellulose and cholesterol (0.3%) to which various types and amounts of fat (butterfat, olive oil, menhaden oil, corn oil) were added. All diets contained 2% corn oil to supply essential fatty acids to the growing hamsters. No deaths or illness occurred during the experiment. Animals fed the semipurified diet plus 4% butterfat (group 1) had a gallstone incidence of 63%. Replacement of butterfat with either olive oil, corn oil or menhaden oil prevented the formation of cholesterol gallstones entirely (groups 2-4). When total butterfat was increased from 4% to 8% (group 8), the incidence of cholesterol gallstones increased to 80%. Substitution of 4% olive oil (group 5), corn oil (group 6), or menhaden oil (group 7) for the additional 4% butterfat significantly reduced gallstones to 35%, 45% and 30%, respectively. The replacement of 4% butterfat with 1.2% palmitic acid gave the highest incidence of cholesterol gallstones (95%). These results suggest that butterfat (and one of its components, palmitic acid) intensifies gallstone formation in this model whereas mono- and polyunsaturated fats act as inhibitors of cholesterol cholelithiasis. A fatty acid, possibly palmitic acid, appears to act as lithogen in our model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York 10003.
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Mosbach
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ayyad
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: McSherry
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000737:chemistry; D002079:Butter; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000737:chemistry / Q000178:diet therapy*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D003314:Corn Oil / Q000494:pharmacology; D006224:Cricetinae; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004435:Eating; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000494:pharmacology; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005395:Fish Oils; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils; D003314:Corn Oil; D002079:Butter; D002784:Cholesterol