Effects of dietary proteins on the intestinal synthesis and transport of cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I in rats.

Feeding a low-fat diet free of cholesterol to rats resulted in a low level of serum cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-I) when dietary protein was soybean protein as compared to casein. Since the small intestine is an important synthetic site for lipoproteins, the effects of dietary protein sources on the intestinal synthesis in vitro of cholesterol and apoA-I and the concentration of these components in the mesenteric lymph were studied. In rats fed a 1% fat diet, the apoA-I concentration in the lymph and the de novo synthesis of apoA-I in the small intestine segment were both low for animals fed a soybean protein diet as compared to a casein diet. The intestinal hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity was high in animals fed soybean protein, whereas the lymph cholesterol level was comparable. Even in rats fed a 5% fat diet, concentrations of serum cholesterol and apoA-I and lymphatic apoA-I were again significantly low for rats fed vegetable protein. These results indicate that the intestine plays an important role in the dietary protein-dependent regulation of serum cholesterol and apoA-I levels.