Physico-chemical properties of cholesterol-fed rabbit beta-VLDL are not affected by different dietary oils

Various oils have been used as vehicles for cholesterol in diets used to produce atherosclerosis in rabbits. Because such oils may affect the physico-chemical properties of the beta-VLDL produced in response to cholesterol feeding, we have studied the physico-chemical characteristics of beta-VLDL isolated from cholesterol-fed rabbits using several different oils as vehicles (corn, safflower, cod liver, and peanut oils). All animals developed severe hypercholesterolemia by 2 weeks. During the second and third weeks on diet the apo beta-containing lipoproteins began to develop thermal transitions due to order-disorder cholesterol ester transitions in the lipoproteins. By 4 weeks the apo beta-containing lipoproteins (overwhelmingly beta-VLDL) had transitions which were quite similar (transition temperatures 41.0-42.5 degrees C). No statistical differences were noted between the transition temperatures or enthalpies of any of the dietary groups. Thus, the physico-chemical properties of the beta-VLDL of rabbits fed cholesterol appear to be quite similar, despite the vehicles used to carry the cholesterol in the diet. Thus other mechanisms must be looked for to explain the different atherogenicity of different oils used as cholesterol carrying vehicles.