Long-term intake of soyabean phytosterols lowers serum TAG and NEFA concentrations, increases bile acid synthesis and protects against fatty liver development in dyslipidaemic hamsters

Abstract

Various human trials and pre-clinical studies have suggested that dietary plant sterols possess hypotriacylglycerolaemic properties apart from their cholesterol-lowering properties. We hypothesised that phytosterols (PS) might attenuate triacylglycerolaemia by interfering with the deleterious effects of cholesterol overload in the liver. In the present study, twenty hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) with dietinduced combined hyperlipidaemia were fed a high-fat diet (HFD, n 10) or a HFD supplemented with soyabean PS (n 10) for 40 d. In parallel, a healthy group was fed a standard diet (n 10). PS normalised fasting plasma cholesterol concentrations completely after 20 d and were also able to normalise serum TAG and NEFA concentrations after 40 d. HFD feeding caused microvesicular steatosis and impaired the expression of key genes related to fatty acid oxidation such as PPARA, carnitine palmitoyltransferase-Ia (CPT1A) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) in the liver. PS treatment completely protected against HFD-induced steatosis and resulted in a normalised hepatic gene expression profile. The protection of the hepatic function by PS was paralleled by increased faecal cholesterol excretion along with a 2-fold increase in the biliary bile acid (BA):cholesterol ratio. The present study supports the conclusion that long-term consumption of PS can reduce serum TAG and NEFA concentrations and can protect against the development of fatty liver via different mechanisms, including the enhancement of BA synthesis. The results of the present study place these compounds as promising hepatoprotective agents against fatty liver and its derived pathologies.

Fatty acid moieties have little effect on cholesterol‐lowering potency of plant sterol esters

“…In addition, the present study demonstrated that SSF and SCO could also increase the excretion of fecal bile acids in a dose‐dependent manner. This observation was in agreement with report of Laos et al , who found that phytosterols could increase the synthesis of bile acids and protect against fatty liver development in dyslipidemic hamsters. It is clear that plasma cholesterol‐lowering activity of plant sterol esters is mediated by at least two mechanisms of not only increasing the excretion of neutral sterols but also enhancing the synthesis and excretion of acidic sterols.…”

Oral Administration of CardioAid and Lunasin Alleviates Liver Damage in a High-Fat Diet Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Model

“…ADM's CardioAid™ contains plant sterols that, owing to their similarity to cholesterol, block cholesterol absorption at the surface of the small intestine. Both pre-clinical and clinical trials have shown that plant sterols can exert cholesterol- and triacylglycerol (TAG)-lowering effects [10,11,12]. Long-term phytosterol consumption reduces serum TAG and protects against the development of fatty liver via multiple mechanisms, including the enhancement of bile acid synthesis.…”

Effect of maternal dietary supplementation with phytosterol esters on muscle development of broiler offspring

“…Al- cohol feeding increased BA pool size and decreased BA synthesis related gene expression in mice, with no effect on serum BA level (Donepudi et al, 2018). Phytosterols, which are metabolites of PE, were reported to increase the BA:cholesterol ratio in the bile of dyslipidaemic hamsters (Laos et al, 2014). In addition to the antiinflammatory properties of phytosterols in mouse skin and colon as well as in human patients (De Jong et al, 2008;Medeiros et al, 2007;Vitor et al, 2009), pre-treatment with phytosterols exerted an antioxidant effect on dextran sodium sulphate-induced colonic inflammation by regulation of the intestinal microflora, as indirectly shown by the modification of the BA pattern (Aldini et al, 2014).…”