Chitosan oligosaccharide decreases very-low-density lipoprotein triglyceride and increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in high-fat-diet-fed rats.

It is well known that chitosan has beneficial lipid-regulating effects, but it remains unknown whether chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), the chitosan degradation product, has the same lipid benefits. High-fat-diet-fed Wistar rats were administrated with COS by gastric gavage for three weeks. The effects of COS on lipids, lipoprotein components and lipid metabolism related protein activities were investigated. Plasma lipids level assays by an enzyme method showed that COS decreased triglyceride (TG) by 29-31%, and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by 8-11%, but did not affect low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Lipid distribution analysis through fast protein liquid chromatography indicated that COS significantly decreased TG content distributed in very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)/LDL fractions but increased cholesterol content in HDL fractions. Apolipoprotein analysis through plasma ultracentrifugation and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis displayed that COS decreased apolipoprotein B-100 of LDL and increased apolipoprotein E of LDL and apolipoprotein B-100 of VLDL, but did not change apoA-I content of HDL particles. Lipoprotein formation associated protein determination showed that COS also increased plasma activity of lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase but not phospholipid transfer protein. The present study suggests that COS may play a beneficial role in plasma lipid regulation of rats with dyslipidemia induced by high-fat diet. The COS-decreased VLDL/LDL TG and -enhanced HDL cholesterol may be related to the upregulated activity of lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase.