Atherosclerosis (AS) is the most common cardiovascular disease (CVD). Currently, it is widely believed that R-TFA and I-TFA may cause different biological effects. In the present study, we aim to elucidate the effect of mixed R-TFA derived from butter on the development of AS in high-fat diet-fed ApoE–/– mice and find the possible mechanism. It was shown that butter-derived R-TFA promoted dyslipidemia, reduced thoracic and abdominal aorta diameters, and induced aortic lipid deposition and atherosclerotic lesions in high-fat diet-fed ApoE–/– mice. Meanwhile, butter-derived R-TFA affected the serum lipid profile of high-fat diet-fed ApoE–/– mice and the lipid metabolism of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Through lipidomic techniques, we found that butter-derived R-TFA had a significant effect on the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that butter-derived R-TFA does not alleviate but promotes atherosclerotic lesions in high-fat diet-fed ApoE–/– mice and that the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway plays a major role in this pro-atherosclerotic effect.

Dairy fat intake has been considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Rodent models show that trans fatty acids in industrial hydrogenated oil and ruminant milk have different effects on cardiovascular diseases. One of the main reasons is that the distributions of trans fatty acids in triacylglycerols from dairy products and from industrial hydrogenated oil are different, which affects lipid absorption and metabolism. This study investigated the effects of 1,3-olein-2-elaidin (OEO, representing industrial hydrogenated oil triacylglycerols) and 1-vaccenic-2,3-olein (OOV, representing ruminant triacylglycerols in dairy products) on the function of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), including cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) exudation rate, and nitric oxide secretory and nitric oxide synthase relative activity. We found that the detrimental effect of OEO on HUVEC was significantly greater than that of OOV. The results also showed that the absorption rate of OEO in HUVEC (78.25%) was significantly greater than that of OOV (63.32%). Mechanistically, based on phospholipidomics analysis, we found that calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) played a key role with regard to the OOV-mediated arachidonic acid (ARA)/COX-2/PG pathway, whereas secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) and cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) are responsible for the OEO-mediated ARA/COX-2/PG pathway. Moreover, OEO had a greater effect on the protein expression of COX-2 and PG secretion than OOV. In addition, iPLA2, sPLA2, and cPLA2 could mediate the ARA/CYP4A11 pathway in OOV-treated HUVEC, but only iPLA2 could mediate this pathway in HUVEC treated with OEO. We also found that sPLA2 could mediate the ARA/5-LOX pathway in HUVEC treated with OOV, but none of these 3 forms of PLA2 could mediate this pathway in HUVEC treated with OEO. On the other hand, after OOV treatment, trans-11 C18:1 was converted to beneficial forms of fatty acids in HUVEC, including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and trans-9 C16:1. In conclusion, we elucidated the potential mechanisms that might account for the diverse effects of triacylglycerols from industrial hydrogenated oil and ruminant milk on the function of HUVEC.

BACKGROUNDIn recent years, there has been an increasing demand for plant‐based cheese analogues, however, the protein content of plant‐based cheeses currently on the market is generally low and cannot meet the nutritional needs of consumers.RESULTSBased on the ideal value similarity method (TOPSIS) analysis the best recipe for plant‐based cheese was 15% tapioca starch, 20% soy protein isolate, 7% gelatine as a quality enhancer and 15% coconut oil. The protein content of this plant‐based cheese was170.1 g kg−1, which was close to commercial dairy‐based cheese and significantly higher than commercial plant‐based cheese, The fat content was 114.7 g kg−1, lower than that of commercial dairy‐based cheese. The rheology properties show that the viscoelasticity of the plant‐based cheese is higher than that of dairy‐based cheese and commercial plant‐based. The microstructure results show that the type and content of protein has a significant impact on its microstructure. The Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum of the microstructure shows a characteristic value at 1700 cm−1, because the starch was heated and leached to form a complex with lauric acid under the action of hydrogen bond. It can be inferred that in the interaction between plant‐based cheese raw materials, fatty acids serve as a bridge between starch and protein.COUCLUSIONThis study described the formula of plant‐based cheese and the interaction mechanism between the ingredients, providing a basis for the development of subsequent plant‐based cheese related products. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.