The regulation of apolipoprotein B (apo B) metabolism by eicosapentaenoic acid was investigated in CaCo-2 cells. Cells cultured on semipermeable membranes that separated an upper from a lower well were incubated for 48 hours with albumin alone or 1 mM eicosapentaenoic acid or oleic acid attached to albumin (4:1, mol/mol). Compared with cells incubated with oleic acid, cells incubated with eicosapentaenoic acid synthesized and secreted less [ 3 H]glycerol-Iabeled triglycerides. Although both fatty acids increased cellular triglyceride mass compared with control cells, less triglycerides accumulated in cells incubated with the n-3 fatty acid. The secretion of triglyceride and apo B mass by cells incubated with eicosapentaenoic acid was less than that observed by cells incubated with oleate. The amount of apo B mass within cells, however, was not altered by either of the fatty acids and was similar to amounts found in control cells. Apo B mRNA abundance was decreased fourfold in cells exposed for 48 hours to eicosapentaenoic acid. In contrast, in cells incubated with oleic acid, apo B mRNA levels were not significantly altered. Pulse-chase experiments were performed to investigate the regulation of apo B synthesis and degradation by the fatty acids. In cells incubated with eicosapentaenoic acid, the synthesis and basolateral secretion of newly synthesized apo B-100 and apo B-48 were significantly less compared with control cells or cells incubated with oleic acid. In contrast, the synthesis and secretion of newly synthesized apo B in cells exposed to oleic acid were similar to control cells. Rates of apo A-I synthesis were similar in cells incubated with either of the fatty acids. Compared with control cells and cells incubated with eicosapentaenoic acid, the residence time of labeled apo B in cells incubated with oleic acid was prolonged. The percentage of newly synthesized apo B that was degraded was less in cells incubated with oleic acid. In contrast, residence times and the percentages of apo A-I and apo B-48 degraded were similar in control cells and cells incubated with the fatty acids. Thus, in CaCo-2 cells, compared with the effects of oleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid impairs triglyceride transport in part by inhibiting apo B synthesis and secretion. The inhibition of apo B synthesis by eicosapentaenoic acid may be related to a decrease in gene transcription or a decrease in mRNA stability, as apo B mRNA levels were significantly decreased in cells incubated with this fatty acid. In contrast, compared with control cells, oleic acid did not increase either the rate of synthesis or the secretion of newly synthesized apo B-100. The monoenoic fatty acid did, however, delay the disappearance of apo B-100 in the cell and decrease the percentage of newly synthesized apo B-100 that was degraded. Because apo B mass secretion was increased by oleic acid, the results suggest that in intestinal cells, there is a preformed pool of apo B that is used for the transport of triglycerides into the lymph. ( T he predominant...

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Lovastatin, a potent competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase activity, was used to study the regulation of cholesterol metabolism and the basolateral-membrane secretion of triacylglycerol and cholesterol in the human intestinal cell line CaCo-2. At 0.1 microgram/ml, lovastatin decreased 3H2O incorporation into cholesterol by 71%. In membranes prepared from cells incubated with lovastatin for 18 h, HMG-CoA reductase activity was induced 4-8-fold. Mevalonolactone prevented this induction. In intact cells, lovastatin (10 micrograms/ml) decreased cholesterol esterification by 50%. The reductase inhibitor decreased membrane acyl-CoA:cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACAT) activity by 50% at 5 micrograms/ml. ACAT inhibition by lavastatin was not reversed by adding excess of cholesterol or fatty acyl-CoA to the assay. Lovastatin, in the presence or absence of mevalonolactone, decreased the basolateral secretion of newly synthesized cholesteryl esters and triacylglycerols. Lovastatin also inhibited the esterification of absorbed cholesterol and the secretion of this newly synthesized cholesteryl ester. Lovastatin is a potent inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis in CaCo-2 cells. Moreover, it is a direct inhibitor of ACAT activity, independently of its effect on HMG-CoA reductase and cholesterol synthesis.

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