Dose response to a dietary oat bran fraction in cholesterol-fed rats

J Nutr. 1990 Jun;120(6):561-8. doi: 10.1093/jn/120.6.561.

Abstract

The two objectives of this research were to improve the cholesterol-fed rat as a model for evaluating the hypocholesterolemic potential of foods and to determine the relationship between serum and liver lipid levels in the cholesterol-fed rat and the ingestion of nine levels of a high fiber oat flour (HFOF) derived from oat bran. Ingestion of 0.2% cholic acid, sodium cholate or sodium taurocholate with 1% cholesterol (CH) significantly elevated serum and liver CH, liver triglycerides and liver weight compared to those values in control rats fed diets not containing CH and bile acids; 0.05 and 0.1% cholic acid with 1% CH were also effective. Ingestion of increasing amounts of HFOF, containing 0-10% dietary fiber, by rats made hypercholesterolemic with 1% CH and 0.1% cholic acid in the diet produced a significant inverse relationship between serum and liver cholesterol levels and HFOF intake; r = 0.48, p less than 0.0001 for serum CH and r = 0.55, p less than 0.0001 for liver CH. Because of the similarities in the responses of humans and of the cholesterol-fed rat to oat fiber ingestion, this dose-response relationship in the rat model suggests that larger intakes of soluble oat fiber sources may be accompanied by greater reduction in serum CH levels in humans.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bile Acids and Salts / administration & dosage
  • Bile Acids and Salts / pharmacology
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Cholesterol / analysis
  • Cholesterol / blood*
  • Cholesterol, Dietary / metabolism
  • Cholesterol, Dietary / pharmacology*
  • Dietary Fiber / administration & dosage
  • Dietary Fiber / pharmacology*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Edible Grain*
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Organ Size / drug effects
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Strains

Substances

  • Bile Acids and Salts
  • Cholesterol, Dietary
  • Dietary Fiber
  • Cholesterol