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Dietary sunflower oil reduces plasma and liver triacylglycerols in fasting rats and is associated with decreased liver microsomal phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity

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Lipids

Abstract

Plasma and liver lipids were studied in male weanling rats fed diets containing moderate levels of fat (6% by weight) as sunflower oil (SF diet, rich in linoleic acid), salmon oil (SM diet, rich in long-chain n-3 fatty acids), or a blend of peanut and rapeseed oil (PR diet, rich in oleic acid). After nine weeks of feeding, the fasting plasma cholesterol concentrations were 49 and 24% lower in groups SM and SF, respectively, as compared to group PR. Both dietary salmon oil and sunflower oil lowered the tricylglycerol concentration of plasma and liver but, unexpectedly, the response was higher with sunflower oil. Indeed, in group SM the values were 15 and 30% lower in plasma and liver, whereas in group SF, they were 24 and 53% lower, respectively. As compared to group PR, liver triacylglycerols and microsomes contained 2.5- and 2.3-fold less oleic acid, respectively, in group SF, and they were 9.2- and 3.2-fold enriched in n-3 fatty acids, respectively, in group SM. The liver triacylglycerol concentrations were correlated with changes in the microsomal Mg2+-dependent phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity (r=0.47,P<0.01). As oleic acid, unlike long-chain n-3 fatty acids, is considered to promote the triacylglycerol synthesis and secretion, our findings suggest that changes in the membrane fatty acid composition could affect the triacylglycerol content of liver and plasma. Moreover, the availability within the liver, of oleic acid, predominantly incorporated into triacylglycerols, might limit the triacylglycerol production in SF-fed rats.

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Abbreviations

DMPC:

dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine

HDL:

high density lipoprotein

LDL:

low density lipoprotein

PA:

Lα-phosphatidate

PAP:

phosphatidate phosphohydrolase

PR:

a blend of peanut oil and rapeseed oil

PUFA:

polyunsaturated fatty acids

SF:

sunflower oil

SM:

salmon oil

VLDL:

very low density lipoprotein

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  1. Laboratoire de Nutrition et Sécurité Alimentaire I.N.R.A.-C.R.J., 78352, Jouy-en-Josas Cedex, France

    Lucie Frémont & Marie-Thérèse Gozzelino

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  1. Lucie Frémont
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  2. Marie-Thérèse Gozzelino
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Frémont, L., Gozzelino, MT. Dietary sunflower oil reduces plasma and liver triacylglycerols in fasting rats and is associated with decreased liver microsomal phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activity. Lipids 31, 871–878 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02522983

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02522983

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