Uptake and esterification of plant sterols by rat small intestine

The commonly found plant sterols, beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol, differ structurally from cholesterol only in side chains but are absorbed in much smaller amounts than cholesterol. Because intestinal mucosal cell uptake and esterification are important steps in absorption, these were studied in vivo after feeding the sterols and in vitro using everted sacs of rat small intestine. The studies showed that campesterol uptake was significantly higher than that of beta-sitosterol, whereas stigmasterol uptake was extremely low throughout the intestine. The total intestinal content of campesterol was 2.223 mg/g or about 14% of the dose fed as compared with 1.496 mg/g or 7.4% for beta-sitosterol and only 0.392 mg/g or 2.3% for stigmasterol. Intestinal tissue concentration of esterified campesterol was higher than that of beta-sitosterol, whereas that of esterified stigmasterol was extremely low. The results suggest that campesterol absorption would be higher than that of beta-sitosterol; stigmasterol probably would not be absorbed in any significant amount because of its negligible uptake due to its inability to partition out of the mixed micelles. It appears that the structure of the side chain of a sterol is an important determinant for uptake and esterification, and probably absorption, in the small intestine.