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The cholesterol-lowering effect of guar gum in rats is not accompanied by an interruption of bile acid cycling

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Lipids

Abstract

A viscous hydrocolloid (guar gum, GG; 2.5% of the diet) or a steroid sequestrant (cholestyramine; 0.5% of the diet) was included in semipurified diets containing 0.2% cholesterol to compare the cholesterol-lowering effects of each agent in rats. In the present model, GG significantly lowered plasma cholesterol (−25%), especially in the density <1.040 kg/L fraction, whereas cholestyramine was less potent. Bile acid fecal excretion significantly increased only in rats fed cholestyramine, similar to the cecal bile acid pool; the biliary bile acid secretion was accelerated by GG, but not their fecal excretion, whereas GG effectively enhanced neutral sterol excretion. As a result, the total steroid balance (+13 μmol/d in the control) was shifted toward negative values in rats fed the GG or cholestyramine diets (−27 or −50 μmol/d, respectively). Both agents induced liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, but cholestyramine was more potent than GG in this respect. The present data suggest that, at a relative low dose in the diet, GG may be more effective than cholestyramine in lowering plasma cholesterol by impairing cholesterol absorption and by accelerating the small intestine/liver cycling of bile acids, which is interestingly, accompanied by reduction of bile acid concentration in the large intestine.

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Abbreviations

GG:

guar gum

HDL:

high density lipoprotein

HMG-CoA:

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA

SCFA:

short-chain fatty acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire des Maladies Métaboliques et Micronutriments, I.N.R.A. de Clermont-Ferrand/Theix, 63122, St-Genès-Champanelle, France

    Marie-Laure Favier, Christian Demigné & Christian Rémésy

  2. Rhône-Poulenc, 92400, Courbevoie, France

    Pierre-Etienne Bost

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  1. Marie-Laure Favier
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  2. Pierre-Etienne Bost
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  3. Christian Demigné
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  4. Christian Rémésy
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Correspondence to Christian Demigné.

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Favier, ML., Bost, PE., Demigné, C. et al. The cholesterol-lowering effect of guar gum in rats is not accompanied by an interruption of bile acid cycling. Lipids 33, 765–771 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-998-0268-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-998-0268-9

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