Macrophage cholesterol efflux elicited by human total plasma and by HDL subfractions is not affected by different types of dietary fatty acids

BACKGROUND: Plasma HDL concentrations and composition, important predictors of coronary heart disease, are modified by fatty acids (FAs) in high-fat diets. OBJECTIVE: Following the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III recommendation that 25%-30% of total calorie intake be in the form of fat, we compared the results of the intake of 30% of energy as fat in diets enriched with trans, polyunsaturated, or saturated FAs. These dietary effects on the composition and ability of HDL(2), HDL(3), and total plasma to efflux cholesterol from mouse peritoneal macrophages that previously were loaded with LDL-acetylated 14C-cholesteryl ester were evaluated by using ultracentrifugally isolated lipoproteins. DESIGN: After a 2-wk run-in period, 30 healthy persons (9 M, 21 F), were randomly distributed among 3 groups (n = 10/group) and fed for 4 wk with either an 8.3% trans FA, a 14.6% polyunsaturated FA, or a 13.2% saturated FA diet. The 3 diets had similar proportions of monounsaturated FAs. RESULTS: The percentage of radioactive cell cholesterol removal did not vary among these diets, possibly because of the small difference in the composition of the HDL fraction elicited by the different diets. However, the percentage was consistently higher for HDL(3) than for HDL(2). CONCLUSION: Differences in the cell cholesterol efflux with these diets were not observed, probably because the changes in the HDL composition were quite modest as a result of the limitation of the fat intake to 30% of total calories and because of the rigorous control of the proportions of FAs in the experimental diets used in this investigation.