Comparative effects of safflower oil and perilla oil on serum and hepatic lipid levels, fatty acid compositions of serum and hepatic phospholipids, and hepatic mRNA expressions of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, LDL receptor, and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase in young and adult rats

Male Wistar rats, 4 and 33 weeks of age, were fed the diets containing saff lower oil (SO-diet, 77.3% linoleic acid) or perilla oil (PO-diet, 58.4% alp ha -linoienic acid) for 7 days. Serum total cholesterol was lower on the PO -diet in both ages. On the other hand, hepatic cholesterol and phospholipid s were significantly higher in the PO group than in the SO group of the adu lt rats. The PO group showed significantly lower 20:4 n-6 but higher 18:2 n -6 in hepatic phosphatidylcholine compared with the SO group in both ages. Hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase mRNA was significantly lower on the PO-diet than on the SO-diet irrespective of age. The present results show that alpha -linolenic acid has a higher hypochole sterolemic ability than linoleic acid in rats irrespective of age and these fatty acids behaved differently in affecting hepatic mRNA expressions of H MG-CoA reductase, LDL receptor, and cholesterol 7 alpha -hydroxylase. (C) 2 000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.