Ck. Chang et Jt. Snook, The cholesterolaemic effects of dietary fats in cholesteryl ester transferprotein transgenic mice, BR J NUTR, 85(6), 2001, pp. 643-648
In order to investigate the role of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CET
P) in the cholesterolaemic response to dietary fats, we analysed plasma lip
id profiles of CETP-transgenic and control C57BL/6 mice fed standard chow (
AIN-93G; AIN), a low-fat diet, and diets high in butter (saturated fatty ac
ids; SFA), high-oleic acid safflower oil (monounsaturated fatty acids; MUFA
), and safflower oil (polyunsaturated fatty acids; PUFA) for 5 weeks. Each
group contained four or five mice. There were significant diet and dietxgen
otype effects on plasma total cholesterol (TC; (P<0.035 and P=0.008 respect
ively), liver TC (P<0.001 and P=0.002 respectively), and esterified cholest
erol (EC; P=0.002 and P=0.001 respectively); diet effects on plasma triacyl
glycerol (P=0.007), liver free cholesterol (P<0.001), and body weight (P=0.
027); a genotype effect on body-weight gain (P=0.014); and a dietxgenotype
effect on energy intake (P=0.006). In transgenic mice the SFA diet caused s
ignificantly higher plasma TC than the PUFA diet (P<0.05). In control mice
MUFA and PUFA diets, but not the SFA diet, caused significantly higher plas
ma TC than the low-fat and AIN diets (P<0.05). Transgenic mice fed PUFA had
lower plasma TC (P=0.040), while transgenic mice fed MUFA had lower LDL+VL
DL-cholesterol (P=0.013) than controls in the same dietary groups. Transgen
ic mice fed MUFA and PUFA diets also had significantly higher liver TC (P=0
.020 and P=0.002 respectively) and EC (P=0.040 and P=0.036 respectively) th
an controls fed the same diets. In the present study we showed that: (1) CE
TP transgenic mice had a cholesterolaemic response to dietary fats similar
to that in human subjects; (2) CETP transgenic mice fed PUFA showed signifi
cantly lower plasma TC, while those fed MUFA had lower LDL+VLDL-cholesterol
than controls; (3) hepatic accumulation of cholesterol, possibly resulting
from the combination of the enhanced cholesteryl ester transfer to apolipo
protein B-containing lipoproteins and increased hepatic uptake of cholester
ol, may contribute to the cholesterol-lowering effect of MUFA and PUFA in C
ETP-transgenic mice; (4) CETP may play a role in appetite and/or energy reg
ulation.