Dependence on dietary cholesterol for n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-induced changes in plasma cholesterol in the Syrian hamster

• Published in: Journal of lipid research Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 263 - 271
• Main Authors: Surette, ME, Whelan, J, Lu, GP, Broughton, KS, Kinsella, JE
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.02.1992; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Elsevier
• Subjects: ACIDE GRAS INSATURE; ACIDOS GRASOS INSATURADOS; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; CHOLESTEROL; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol, Dietary - pharmacology; COLESTEROL; CORPS GRAS; Cricetinae; DIETA; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GRASAS; HAMSTER; Lipids. Glycolipids; LIPOPROTEINAS; LIPOPROTEINE; Lipoproteins, LDL - metabolism; Liver - metabolism; Male; Mesocricetus; Metabolisms and neurohumoral controls; PLASMA SANGUIN; PLASMA SANGUINEO; Receptors, LDL - metabolism; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Lipoprotein LDL; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Diet; Rodentia; Polyunsaturated fatty acid; Cholesterol; Hamster; Blood plasma; Biological receptor
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-2275(20)41546-9
• ISSN: 0022-2275

Male Syrian hamsters consumed diets containing incremental increases in dietary n-3 fatty acids from fish oil with either low (0.015% w/w) or moderate (0.1% w/w) dietary cholesterol content. Animals consuming diets containing moderate cholesterol, but not animals consuming diets containing low cholesterol, had increased plasma very low (VLDL)- and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels with increasing fish oil consumption. The plasma concentration of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol decreased by 43 and 32% with the consumption of the highest fish oil diets in the low and moderate dietary cholesterol groups, respectively. Hepatic LDL-receptor binding activity did not change with the consumption of low cholesterol diets, but gradually decreased with fish oil consumption in animals consuming the moderate cholesterol diets. Hepatic LDL-receptor binding and plasma LDL-cholesterol levels of the different dietary fish oil groups were highly correlated (r = -0.91). Fish oil consumption also caused an increase in hepatic free cholesterol but a decreased cholesteryl ester content. Therefore, in the Syrian hamster, the consumption of n-3 fatty acids increases LDL-cholesterol levels which can be partially explained by decreased hepatic LDL-receptor binding and this response to dietary n-3 fatty acids is dependent on the dietary cholesterol content. However, the effects of dietary n-3 fatty acids on HDL-cholesterol are independent of dietary cholesterol content.