title: Single frequency intake of α-linolenic acid rich phytosterol esters attenuates atherosclerosis risk factors in hamsters fed a high fat diet.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emerging evidence suggested phytosterol esters (PE) exhibited an advantage over naturally occurring phytosterols in reducing atherosclerosis risk factors due to improved fat solubility and compatibility. However, the effects of dietary patterns of PE on lipid-lowering activity were limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to explore the effects of dose and frequency of α-linolenic acid rich phytosterol esters (ALA-PE) on cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism markers focused on intestinal cholesterol absorption and bioconversion of ALA in liver.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dose-dependency study Male Syrian golden hamsters were fed high-fat diets (HFD) containing low, medium and high dose of ALA-PE (0.72 %, 2.13 % and 6.39 %) for 6 weeks. The high fat diet contained 89.5 % chow diet, 0.2 % cholesterol, 10 % lard and 0.3 % bile salt. Dose-frequency study Male Syrian golden hamsters were provided: (I) 0.4 mL/100 g peanut oil by gavage once a day; (II) 0.4 mL/100 g ALA-PE by gavage once a day; (III) 0.2 mL/100 g ALA-PE by gavage twice a day; (IV) 0.133 mL/100 g ALA-PE by gavage three times a day; (V) 0.1 mL/100 g ALA-PE by gavage four times a day for 6 weeks with a high-fat diet simultaneously.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ALA-PE dose-dependently lowered plasma total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations with a maximal decrease of 42 %, 59 % and 73 %, respectively (p < 0.05). Compared to HFD, TC, LDL-C and TG concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in hamsters consumed HFD plus ALA-PE for 1-4 times per day but there were not remarkable differences among different consumption frequencies. No significant changes in plasma antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation levels were observed among HFD and HFD plus different doses of ALA-PE groups. The contents of hepatic α-linolenic (ALA), docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids were dose-dependently increased in different ALA-PE groups compared to those in HFD group. The abundance of mRNA for intestinal sterol transporters Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1), ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters ABCG5 and ABCG8 indicated no significant differences among all groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ALA-PE dose-dependently improved lipid profile in hamsters fed HFD independent of intestinal ABCG5, ABCG8 and NPC1L1, accompanying by increased conversion of ALA to DPA and DHA in liver. ALA-PE manifested "once a day" lipid-lowering efficacy, highlighting a promising preventive strategy for metabolic syndrome.
authors: Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2 Xudong Second Road, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China. dengqianchun@caas.cn.|Hubei Key Laboratory of Lipid Chemistry and Nutrition, Wuhan, 430062, China. dengqianchun@caas.cn.
authors: Qianchun
authors: Q
authors: Deng
authors: Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2 Xudong Second Road, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China. yuxiao775@126.com.|Hubei Key Laboratory of Lipid Chemistry and Nutrition, Wuhan, 430062, China. yuxiao775@126.com.
authors: Xiao
authors: X
authors: Yu
authors: Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2 Xudong Second Road, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China. 445439119@qq.com.|Hubei Key Laboratory of Lipid Chemistry and Nutrition, Wuhan, 430062, China. 445439119@qq.com.
authors: Jiqu
authors: J
authors: Xu
authors: Functional Oil Laboratory Associated by Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Infinite (China) Co., LTD, Guangzhou, 510623, China. xiuying.Kou@infinitus-int.com.
authors: Xiuying
authors: X
authors: Kou
authors: Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2 Xudong Second Road, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China. mingmingabc1983@163.com.|Hubei Key Laboratory of Lipid Chemistry and Nutrition, Wuhan, 430062, China. mingmingabc1983@163.com.
authors: Mingming
authors: M
authors: Zheng
authors: Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2 Xudong Second Road, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China. jiagongzx@oilcrops.cn.|Hubei Key Laboratory of Lipid Chemistry and Nutrition, Wuhan, 430062, China. jiagongzx@oilcrops.cn.
authors: Fenghong
authors: F
authors: Huang
authors: Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2 Xudong Second Road, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China. 449832455@qq.com.|Hubei Key Laboratory of Lipid Chemistry and Nutrition, Wuhan, 430062, China. 449832455@qq.com.
authors: Qingde
authors: Q
authors: Huang
authors: Institute for Farm Products Processing and Nuclear-Agricultural Technology, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Science, Wuhan, 430064, China. 11060577@qq.com.
authors: Lan
authors: L
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D006224:Cricetinae; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D002784:Cholesterol