Dietary vegetable oil and wood derived plant stanol esters reduce atherosclerotic lesion size and severity in apoE*3-Leiden transgenic mice

The hypolipidemic and anti-atherosclerotic effects of vegetable oil- and wo od-based dietary plant stanol esters were compared in female apoE*3-Leiden transgenic mice at relevant plasma cholesterol levels. The plant stanol est ers derived from vegetable oil (sitostanol 65.7%, campestanol 30.1%) had di fferent contents of sitostanol and campestanol than the plant stanol esters derived from wood (sitostanol 87.6%, campestanol 9.5%) or from a mixture o f vegetable oil and wood (sitostanol 73.0%, campestanol 24.7%). The mice (1 0 per group) received for 38 weeks a control diet or diets containing 1.0% (w/w) plant stanol esters derived from either vegetable oil, wood or a mixt ure of both. Vegetable oil (-46%), wood (-42%) and vegetable oil/wood (-51% ) plant stanol esters decreased the plasma cholesterol levels (P < 0.0001) by reducing the cholesterol content in plasma very low density-, intermedia te density- and to a lesser extent in low density-lipoprotein. Plant stanol ester feeding did not change plasma triglyceride levels. Dietary plant sta nol esters reduced the atherosclerotic lesion area by 91 +/- 13% (vegetable oil), 97 +/- 4% (wood) and 78 +/- 34% (vegetable oil/wood) (P < 0.0001) an d the severity from regular intimal fatty streaks/mild plaques (on average type 2-3 lesions) in controls to individual intimal foam cells ( < type 1 l esions) in the treatment groups (P < 0.0001). Plant stanol esters had no ef fect on adherence of monocytes to the vessel wall. Feeding of plant stanol esters dramatically reduced, independent of its sources, the extent and sev erity of atherosclerotic lesions, by decreasing VLDL-, IDL- and to a lesser extent LDL-cholesterol in apoE*3-Leiden transgenic mice. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.