Effect of high plant sterol-enriched diet and cholesterol absorption inhibitor, SCH 58235, on plant sterol absorption and plasma concentrations in hypercholesterolemic wild-type Kyoto rats.

Background And Aims: Plant sterols are widely distributed in human diet but are poorly absorbed so that their plasma levels are very low. However, when fed in large amounts, they lower plasma cholesterol levels by interfering with cholesterol absorption. We have studied the effect of 4 weeks of feeding a chow diet supplemented with 1% plant sterols [brassicasterol (6.

Hypercholesterolemia and changes in lipid and bile acid metabolism in male and female cyp7A1-deficient mice.

Cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, a rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis, has been implicated in genetic susceptibility to atherosclerosis. The gene, CYP7A1, encoding a protein with this activity, is expressed normally only in hepatocytes and is highly regulated. Our cyp7A1 gene knockout mouse colony, as young adults on a chow diet, is hypercholesterolemic.