Dietary plant stanols or sterols neither accumulate in stenotic aortic valves nor influence their structure or inflammatory status.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Consumption of plant stanols and plant sterols decreases LDL cholesterol level and increases serum concentrations of plant stanols/sterols, but it is practically unexplored whether also their tissue concentrations increase. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess whether consuming plant stanols/sterols increases their concentrations in stenotic aortic valves and affect the valvular structure (collagen and elastin) or inflammation (macrophages and mast cells).

METHODS

In a randomized, double-blind controlled intervention patients with severe aortic stenosis consumed margarine without (n = 11) or with 2 g of plant stanols (n = 12) or sterols (n = 13) until valve replacement surgery (2.6 months, on average). The effects of sitostanol and sitosterol on the expression and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by cultured aortic valve myofibroblasts were also assessed.

RESULTS

Control-related LDL-cholesterol was diminished by 16% (p < 0.05) by plant stanol and by 11% (NS) by plant sterol consumption, respectively. In the resected valves, cholesterol, plant stanol and sterol levels were similar in all groups. Consumed plant stanols or sterols had no effect on valvular structure or mast cell or macrophage numbers in valves. Incubation of cultured myofibroblasts derived from stenotic valves with sitostanol or sitosterol decreased mRNA expression of the monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (p < 0.05) and interleukin-1 beta (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, plant stanol/sterol consumption did not affect cholesterol, plant stanol or sterol levels in stenotic aortic valves; neither did they influence the structure or the inflammatory status of the valves. However, these findings need to be confirmed in a larger-scale intervention. ClinicalTrials.govRegister #NCT00738933.