Interrelationships of alpha-tocopherol with plasma lipoproteins in African green monkeys: effects of dietary fats.

The distributions of plasma lipoprotein alpha-tocopherol and lipids were studied in African green monkeys consuming diets enriched in saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fatty acids. Plasma total alpha-tocopherol concentrations were not different among the animals fed the three diets, whereas plasma total cholesterol concentrations were significantly different among the diet groups. The alpha-tocopherol: total lipid molar ratio in plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) was significantly higher compared to low density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low plus intermediate-sized low density lipoprotein (VLDL + ILDL) of each diet group, suggesting that HDL may exhibit a greater affinity for alpha-tocopherol. The presence of a positive correlation between HDL alpha-tocopherol and plasma apoA-I concentration and the absence of a correlation between HDL alpha-tocopherol and total lipid in HDL suggested that alpha-tocopherol associates with the protein moiety of HDL on the surface of the particle. A direct relationship between the plasma apoA-I: apoB molar ratio and the percentage of alpha-tocopherol found in the HDL fraction indicated that a greater proportion of alpha-tocopherol associates with HDL as the number of HDL particles in plasma increases relative to LDL particles. LDL from monkeys fed diets high in saturated fat contained 40% and 33% fewer alpha-tocopherol molecules per particle than LDL from monkeys fed polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, respectively. The phase transition temperature of LDL cholesteryl esters, indicative of the physical state of the lipids in the particle core, was well above body temperature in LDL from saturated fat-fed monkeys and was significantly higher compared to the other diet groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)