Effects of oral and intracecal pectin administration on blood lipids in minipigs.

The effects on blood lipids of oral and intracecal pectin administration for 4 wk were examined in six male adult hypercholesterolemic minipigs (total serum cholesterol = 8.4 mmol/L. The pigs were fitted with a cecal cannula and were assigned to three groups of two pigs each; the groups underwent an experiment in 3 X 3 Latin square design. The control period was designated as that during which water was infused into the cecum. Total serum cholesterol concentration was about 50% lower after feeding 75 g pectin per day than during the control period. The intracecal infusion of the same amount of pectin had no effect on total serum cholesterol concentration compared to the control period. The cholesterol level in the low density lipoproteins (LDL), in the very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and in the high density lipoproteins (HDL) was lower after feeding pectin than in the control period. The HDL cholesterol, but not LDL or VLDL cholesterol, was at a lower level after intracecal infusion of pectin than during the control period. Thus, the study clearly demonstrates that the passage of pectin through the small intestine is necessary for its hypocholesterolemic action.