QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Brousseau, M. E. Articles by Schaefer, E. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Brousseau, M. E. Articles by Schaefer, E. J.

Dietary Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids are Comparable in their Effects on Hepatic Apolipoprotein mRNA Abundance and Liver Lipid Concentrations when Substituted for Saturated Fatty Acids in Cynomolgus Monkeys^1,2,

Margaret E. Brousseau, Jose M. Ordovas, Jesus Osada, Joan Fasulo, Sander J. Robins, Robert J. Nicolosi^* and Ernst J. Schaefer³

Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA ^* Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Boston, MA

Although studies have shown that saturated and polyunsaturated fats can mediate plasma lipid and apolipoprotein (apo) concentrations at the mRNA level, there is little data on the role of monounsaturated fats. We determined hepatic lipid and apo mRNA levels in 10 cynomolgus monkeys fed three diets that provided 30% of energy as fat with 0.1% cholesterol by weight and differed solely by the substitution of saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fats as 60% of total fat energy. Total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol, as well as LDL apo B, HDL apo A-I and HDL total apo C concentrations, were reduced with the mono- and polyunsaturated fat diets relative to the saturated fat diet. Although fat saturation did not significantly affect hepatic apo A-I, B, C-II, or E mRNA abundance, hepatic apo C-III mRNA concentrations were uniformly lower (-23%, P < 0.01) with the mono- and polyunsaturated fat diets than with the saturated fat diet. Interestingly, liver triglycerides were significantly elevated with the monounsaturated fat diet relative to the saturated fat diet, but no other differences in hepatic lipids were noted among diets. Hepatic triglyceride composition was shown to reflect dietary fatty acid composition, with liver triglycerides enriched in myristic and palmitic fatty acids during the saturated fat diet, oleic acid during the monounsaturated fat diet and linoleic acid during the polyunsaturated fat diet. We conclude that dietary monounsaturated fats are comparable to polyunsaturated fats in their effects on hepatic lipid and apo mRNA levels in this species, with both unsaturated fats significantly reducing only hepatic apo C-III mRNA abundance relative to saturated fat.

KEY WORDS: • fatty acids • liver lipids • lipoproteins • apolipoprotein mRNA • cynomolgus monkeys

¹ Supported by contract 53-3K-06-10 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research Service (EJS) and by grant R01 HL 39385 from the National Institutes of Health (RJN). Margaret Brousseau was a doctoral candidate at Tufts University School of Nutrition at the time that this research was performed.

² The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

³ To whom correspondence should be addressed at the current address: Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111.

Manuscript received 29 December 1993. Revision accepted 23 August 1994.