EFFECT OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF PECTIN AND GUAR GUM ON PLASMA, HEPATIC AND BILIARY LIPIDS AND CHOLESTEROL GALLSTONE FORMATION IN HAMSTERS FED ON HIGH-CHOLESTEROL DIETS
Ea. Trautwein et al., EFFECT OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF PECTIN AND GUAR GUM ON PLASMA, HEPATIC AND BILIARY LIPIDS AND CHOLESTEROL GALLSTONE FORMATION IN HAMSTERS FED ON HIGH-CHOLESTEROL DIETS, British Journal of Nutrition, 79(5), 1998, pp. 463-471
The effect of high- (hePE) and low- (lePE) esterification pectin and h
igh- (hvGG) and low- (lvGG) viscosity guar gum on plasma, hepatic and
biliary lipids and on prevention of cholesterol gallstones was investi
gated in male golden Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Hamsters
were fed on cholesterol-rich (4 g/kg), gallstone-inducing diets far 6
weeks. The diets were supplemented with 80 g hePE, lePE, hvGG or lvGG/
kg or 80 g additional cellulose/kg. No significant differences in plas
ma total cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations between hvGG a
nd lvGG and the gallstone-inducing or cellulose-enriched diets were ob
served. The hePE diet produced a 16% (non-significant) reduction in to
tal plasma cholesterol but significantly decreased the plasma triacylg
lycerol level by 45%. The lePE diet caused only minor changes in plasm
a lipids. Hepatic cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher
in hamsters fed on hvGG, lvGG, hePE or lePE primarily due to the accu
mulation of esterified cholesterol. Supersaturated bile samples, with
lithogenic indices ranging from 1.6 to 2.0, were determined with all d
iets. The hePE and lePE diets slightly altered the bile acid profile b
y increasing glycocholic acid and decreasing taurochenodeoxycholic aci
d concentrations resulting in a higher cholic :chenodeoxycholic acid r
atio. Cholesterol gallstone formation was not substantially inhibited
by the two varieties of pectin and guar gum. The hvGG, lvGG, hePE and
lePE diets did not alter faecal weight and caused only minor increases
in faecal bile acid excretion. In general, the present findings demon
strate that dietary pectins and guar gums had only minor effects on ch
olesterol metabolism and did not prevent cholesterol gallstone formati
on in this hamster model. Possible explanations for this lack of a dis
tinct response to pectin and guar gum are discussed.