Colon transcriptome is modified by a dietary pattern/atorvastatin interaction in the Ossabaw pig

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Cardiovascular Disease Research
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Diet and statin therapy are key for managing coronary artery disease (CAD) risk.
• The impact of these interventions on the colon and CAD progression remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how diet quality and atorvastatin therapy affect colonic gene expression.
• To explore the relationship between colonic changes and CAD progression.

Main Methods:

• Ossabaw pigs were fed either a heart-healthy diet (HHD) or a Western diet (WD) for six months, with or without atorvastatin.
• Colonic mucosa was analyzed using RNA sequencing for gene differential expression and pathway enrichment.

Main Results:

• Diet and atorvastatin significantly altered colonic gene expression, with notable diet-statin interactions.
• Atorvastatin had a greater impact on gene expression than diet alone.
• The Western diet upregulated the "LXR/RXR Activation" pathway without atorvastatin.
• Atorvastatin reduced inflammation in HHD-fed pigs but induced a colitis-like phenotype in WD-fed pigs.
• No association was found between colonic gene expression and atherosclerotic lesion severity.

Conclusions:

• Diet quality modulates the colonic response to atorvastatin therapy.
• These diet-induced colonic changes were independent of atherosclerotic lesion development in the studied arteries.