Influence of lipid-rich diets on intestinal cholesterol uptake

The purpose of this work was to determine whether or not cholesterol transport by intestinal brush border is influenced by fat-enriched diets and therefore plays a role in the regulation of cholesterol absorption. This study was carried out on rats divided into three groups according to diet: (1) control with a diet containing 1.2% cholesterol (diet T), (2) diet T plus 28% saturated fat (lard) and (3) diet T plus 28% polyunsaturated fat (corn oil). Uptake of cholesterol and oleic acid from defined mixed micellar solutions was studied on two experimental models: everted sacs and brush border vesicles of the intestinal membrane. In vivo cholesterol absorption was measured by the dual isotope plasma ratio method of Zilversmit. Fat-enriched diets decreased both in vivo cholesterol absorption and in vitro cholesterol uptake without any specific effect of unsaturated fats. This suggests that the mechanisms involved in the transport of cholesterol across the brush border membrane may be rate-limiting for cholesterol absorption. Oleate and butyrate uptakes, in contrast, were unaffected by the fat content of the diet.