Effects of saturated and polyunsaturated dietary fat on the concentrations of HDL subpopulations in African green monkeys.

The effect of the type of dietary fat on the concentrations and compositions of high density lipoprotein (HDL) subpopulations was studied in groups of African green monkeys consuming 40% of calories as fat supplied as saturated fat (P/S = 0.3) or polyunsaturated fat (P/S = 2.2) in the presence of either 0.8 mg or 0.03 mg cholesterol/kcal. Plasma HDL cholesterol concentrations were lower in polyunsaturated fat-fed animals. The distribution of mass among HDL subfractions was assessed by analytic ultracentrifugation (AnUC), density gradient ultracentrifugation (DGUC), and polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis (GGE). This made it possible to characterize and quantitate the HDL subpopulations HDL2b, HDL2a, HDL3a, HDL3b, and HDL3c (arranged in order of decreasing particle size and decreasing cholesterol content). Polyunsaturated fat-fed animals had lower concentrations of the large, cholesterol-rich HDL2b subpopulation, as well as higher concentrations of intermediate size HDL (HDL2a and HDL3a on the high cholesterol diet; HDL3a and HDL3b on the low cholesterol diet). Consistent with the observed fat-related redistribution of HDL mass, the saturated fat-fed monkeys had higher apo A-I/apo A-II ratios. The larger HDL often contained detectable apo E; however, the concentration of apo E in HDL was low in both saturated and polyunsaturated fat-fed animals. Thus, compared to saturated fat, dietary polyunsaturated fat induced the formation of smaller size HDL subpopulations and, therefore, an overall lower cholesterol content per particle for plasma HDL.