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An Egg-Enriched Diet Attenuates Plasma Lipids and Mediates Cholesterol Metabolism of High-Cholesterol Fed Rats

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Lipids

Abstract

We investigated the influence of an egg-enriched diet on plasma, hepatic and fecal lipid levels and on gene expression levels of transporters, receptors and enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism. Sprague–Dawley rats fed an egg-enriched diet had lower plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, hepatic triglyceride, and cholesterol concentrations, and greater plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, fecal neutral sterol and bile acid concentrations than those fed a plain cholesterol diet. Chicken egg yolk had no effect on sterol 12α-hydroxylase and sterol 27α-hydroxylase; but upregulated mRNA levels of hepatic LDL-receptor, cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase, and downregulated hepatic hydroxymethylglutaryl-(HMG)-CoA reductase and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) after 90 days. Modification of the lipoprotein profile by an egg-enriched diet was mediated by reducing de novo cholesterol synthesis and enhancing the excretion of fecal cholesterol, via upregulation of CYP7A1 and the LDL receptor, and downregulation of HMG-CoA reductase and ACAT.

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Abbreviations

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

PC:

Phosphatidylcholine

SM:

Sphingomyelin

SHR:

Spontaneously hypertensive rats

RT-qPCR:

Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction

OV:

Ovomucin

CCG:

Common control group

CLG:

Cholesterol group

EYG:

Egg yolk group

WEG:

Whole egg group

HBA:

Total bile acid

apoB:

Apolipoprotein-B-100

apoA1:

Apolipoprotein-A-1

HE:

Hematoxylin and eosin

GAPDH:

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

HMG-CoA R:

Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA reductase

LDLr:

LDL receptor

CYP7A1:

Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase

CYP27A1:

Sterol 27α-hydroxylase

CYP8B1:

Sterol 12α-hydroxylase

ACAT:

Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase

LCAT:

Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase

EWP:

Egg white protein

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Acknowledgments

We duly acknowledge the financial support received from the earmarked fund for Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System (Project Code No.: nycytx-41-g22).

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National R&D Center for Egg Processing, College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Fang Yang, Meihu Ma, Xiufang Yu & Ning Qiu

  2. College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Jia Xu

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  1. Fang Yang
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  2. Meihu Ma
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  3. Jia Xu
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  4. Xiufang Yu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meihu Ma.

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Yang, F., Ma, M., Xu, J. et al. An Egg-Enriched Diet Attenuates Plasma Lipids and Mediates Cholesterol Metabolism of High-Cholesterol Fed Rats. Lipids 47, 269–277 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-011-3646-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-011-3646-x

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