L-Arabinose improves hypercholesterolemia via regulating bile acid metabolism in high-fat-high-sucrose diet-fed mice

Yu Wang; Jiajia Zhao; Qiang Li; Jinxin Liu; Yujie Sun; Kuiliang Zhang; Mingcong Fan; Haifeng Qian; Yan Li; Li Wang

doi:10.1186/s12986-022-00662-8

L-Arabinose improves hypercholesterolemia via regulating bile acid metabolism in high-fat-high-sucrose diet-fed mice

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2022 Apr 15;19(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s12986-022-00662-8.

Authors

Yu Wang^#¹, Jiajia Zhao^#², Qiang Li^#³, Jinxin Liu¹, Yujie Sun¹, Kuiliang Zhang¹, Mingcong Fan¹, Haifeng Qian¹, Yan Li⁴, Li Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.
² College of Cooking Science and Technology, Jiangsu College of Tourism, Yangzhou, 225000, China.
³ China National Institute of Standardization, No. 4 Zhichun Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China. liyan0520@jiangnan.edu.cn.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China. wangli@jiangnan.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Hypercholesterolemia is closely associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. L-Arabinose exhibited hypocholesterolemia properties, but underlying mechanisms have not been sufficiently investigated. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms of L-arabinose on hypocholesterolemia involving the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids.

Methods: Thirty six-week-old male mice were randomly divided into three groups: the control group and the high-fat-high-sucrose diet (HFHSD)-fed group were gavaged with distilled water, and the L-arabinose-treated group were fed HFHSD and received 400 mg/kg/day L-arabinose for 12 weeks. Serum and liver biochemical parameters, serum and fecal bile acid, cholesterol and bile acid metabolism-related gene and protein expressions in the liver and small intestine were analyzed.

Results: L-Arabinose supplementation significantly reduced body weight gain, lowered circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and efficiently alleviated hepatic inflammation and lipid accumulations in HFHSD-fed mice. L-Arabinose inhibited cholesterol synthesis via downregulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR). Additionally, L-arabinose might facilitate reverse cholesterol transport, evidenced by the increased mRNA expressions of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) and scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1). Furthermore, L-arabinose modulated ileal reabsorption of bile acids mainly through downregulation of ileal bile acid-binding protein (I-BABP) and apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT), resulting in the promotion of hepatic synthesis of bile acids via upregulation of cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1).

Conclusions: L-Arabinose supplementation exhibits hypocholesterolemic effects in HFHSD-fed mice primarily due to regulation of bile acid metabolism-related pathways.

Keywords: Bile acid; Cholesterol metabolism; Hypercholesterolemia; L-Arabinose.