Analysis of Serum Cholesterol, Statins and Atherosclerotic Plaque in Ruptured and Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm

Introduction Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is a major healthcare concern. The use of statin to reduce serum cholesterol has shown evidence to reduce cardiovascular risk in various diseases, but the impact on IA has not been described. This study aims to determine whether statin use, and serum cholesterol levels interfere with outcomes after IA event. Methods A cohort of patients with IA was analyzed. Patients social and demographics data were collected. Modified Rankin scale (mRS) score after 6 months of follow-up was the endpoint. The data regarding statins use, presence or not of atherosclerotic plaque in radiological images and serum cholesterol of 35 patients were included in our study. Linear regression models were used to determine the influence of those 6 variables in the clinical outcome. Results The prevalence of atherosclerotic plaque, high cholesterol and use of statins was 34.3%, 48.5%, and 14.2%, respectively. Statins and serum cholesterol did not impact the overall outcome, measured by mRS after 6 months (p > 0.05), but did show different tendencies when separated by IA rupture status. Serum cholesterol shows an important association with rupture of aneurysm (p = 0.0382). High cholesterol and use of statins show a tendency for worse outcome with ruptured aneurysm, and the opposite is true for unruptured aneurysm. The presence of atherosclerotic plaques was not related with worse outcomes. Conclusions Multiple and opposite mechanisms might be involved in the pathophysiology of IA. Ruptured aneurysms are associated with higher levels of serum cholesterol. Serum cholesterol and statins use were not correlated with worse outcomes, but further studies are important to clarify these relationships.

Effect of Protein Isolated from Chenopodium Pallidicaule “kañiwa” on the Lipid Profile of Induced-hypercholesterolemia in Mice (P06-050-19)

Objectives Dyslipidemia is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), therefore successful control of lipid levels to reduce the risks of CVD is needed. “Kañiwa” (Chenopodium pallidicaule) is a pseudo-cereal cultivated in the Peruvian Andes in Puno. Several studies have shown effect of “kañiwa” on CVD, most of them are attributed to phenolic compounds. On the other hand, there is evidence that there is a decrease in serum cholesterol levels by intake of protein from pseudo-cereals. We isolated kañiwa protein and evaluated the effect on lipid profile of mice with induced hypercholesterolemia. Methods Kañiwa seeds were ground to obtain flour, it was defatted with hexane. An aqueous solution (1:5 w/v) was brought to pH 9 with 0.1 M NaOH, after centrifugation the supernatant was acidified (pH 4.6 with 0.1 M HCl) to precipitate the protein. It was neutralized and then lyophilized. Male mice BALB/c 6 weeks old were distributed in five groups: control diet (CD), control diet and cholesterol (CDC), 2.5% kañiwa protein and cholesterol (2.5% KP), 5% kañiwa protein (5% KP), control diet + cholesterol + atorvastatin (CDCA), furthermore CDC, 2.5% KP, 5% KP and CDCA received by orogastric tube 63.5 mg/kg of cholesterol. All kind of diet had 21% of protein but a different source. After 8 weeks all mice were sacrificed and blood was obtained by cardiac puncture, serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were measured. Results The isolated was 83.9% of protein. There was a difference in body weight gain among groups during the trial, KP diet group gained less body weight. Serum total cholesterol level and LDL – c of KP diet groups were significantly lower than the CDC group; nevertheless, they were not lower than CDCA group. 5% KP diet was much better to reduce serum cholesterol level. Conclusions Kañiwa protein diet groups gained less body weight compared to the CDC group. KP diet was able to reduce serum cholesterol and LDL – c levels, however, the effect was not better than atorvastatin group. Funding Sources This research was funded by the “Research circle in gastronomy and biodiversity” – FONDECYT. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

Medium-chain fatty acids reduce serum cholesterol by regulating the metabolism of bile acid in C57BL/6J mice

Hypercholesterolemia is one of the important risk factors of atherosclerosis (AS).

Optimal Use of Plant Stanol Ester in the Management of Hypercholesterolemia

Plant stanol ester is a natural compound which is used as a cholesterol-lowering ingredient in functional foods and food supplements. The safety and efficacy of plant stanol ester have been confirmed in more than 70 published clinical studies and the ingredient is a well-established and widely recommended dietary measure to reduce serum cholesterol. Daily intake of 2 g plant stanols as plant stanol ester lowers LDL-cholesterol by 10%, on average. In Europe, foods with added plant stanol ester have been on the market for 20 years, and today such products are also available in many Asian and American countries. Despite the well-documented efficacy, the full potential in cholesterol reduction may not be reached if plant stanol ester is not used according to recommendations. This review therefore concentrates on the optimal use of plant stanol ester as part of dietary management of hypercholesterolemia. For optimal cholesterol lowering aiming at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, plant stanol ester should be used daily, in sufficient amounts, with a meal and in combination with other recommended dietary changes.

Thyroid Hormone Receptor Agonists Reduce Serum Cholesterol Independent of the LDL Receptor

The majority of cholesterol reduction therapies, such as the statin drugs, work primarily by inducing the expression of hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLRs), rendering these therapeutics only partially effective in animals lacking LDLRs. Although thyroid hormones and their synthetic derivatives, often referred to as thyromimetics, have been clearly shown to reduce serum cholesterol levels, this action has generally been attributed to their ability to increase expression of hepatic LDLRs. Here we show for the first time that the thyroid hormone T3 and the thyroid hormone receptor-β selective agonists GC-1 and KB2115 are capable of markedly reducing serum cholesterol in mice devoid of functional LDLRs by inducing Cyp7a1 expression and stimulating the conversion and excretion of cholesterol as bile acids. Based on this LDLR-independent mechanism, thyromimetics such as GC-1 and KB2115 may represent promising cholesterol-lowering therapeutics for the treatment of diseases such as homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a rare genetic disorder caused by a complete lack of functional LDLRs, for which there are limited treatment options because most therapeutics are only minimally effective.

Screening of Bile Salt Hydrolase-Active Lactic Acid Bacteria for Potential Cholesterol-Lowering Probiotic Use

.Cholesterol-lowering effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with bile salt hydrolase activity is well known. In this study, 150 LAB were screened for bile salt deconjugation ability and probiotic characters. Fourteen isolates with higher bile salt deconjugation ability were initially screened out using deconjugation rate above 50% as standard. These isolates were further screened for adhesion to HT-29 cells, bile tolerance and acid resistance. Four isolates, namely Lactobacillus casei F0822, Lactobacillus casei F0422, Enterococcus faecium F0511 and Enterococcus faecium IN7.12, was finally screened out. The 4 isolates may be able to reduce serum cholesterol levels in human and thus have a potential to apply in the biomedicine field.