title: Mechanisms of action of plant sterols on inhibition of cholesterol absorption. Comparison of sitosterol and sitostanol.
abstract: The effects of two different plant sterols on intestinal cholesterol absorption were compared in normal volunteers by an intestinal perfusion study during a control period followed by high dose infusion of sitosterol or sitostanol (3.6 mumol/min), to which subjects were allocated in a randomized manner. Cholesterol absorption during the control period was similar in the two groups, averaging 0.88 +/- 0.48 mumol/min (32 +/- 11%) for group I (sitosterol) and 0.68 +/- 0.33 mumol/min (29 +/- 9%) for group II (sitostanol). The infusion of a high dose of sitosterol resulted in a significant reduction of cholesterol absorption to 0.47 mumol/min (16%). Following the same dose of sitostanol, cholesterol absorption diminished significantly to 0.15 +/- 0.11 mumol/min (5.1 +/- 2.9%). Overall cholesterol absorption declined during sitosterol infusion by almost 50%, whereas sitostanol infusion caused a reduction of cholesterol absorption by almost 85%. These findings of a more effective inhibition of cholesterol absorption by sitostanol might confirm the observation recorded by others that an increase in hydrophobicity of a plant sterol results in a higher affinity but lower capacity to mixed micells. This may cause an effective displacement of cholesterol from micellar binding and therefore diminished cholesterol absorption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kullak-Ublick
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pietruck
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: von Bergmann
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D012855:Sitosterols / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D012855:Sitosterols; C025473:gamma-sitosterol; D002784:Cholesterol; C021255:stigmastanol