Abstract
Cholesterol gallstones affect approximately 10-15% of the adult population in North America. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is considered to be the main cholesterol solubilizer in bile. This study examined the effect of a PC-enriched diet on gallstone incidence in mice susceptible to cholelithiasis. The result obtained showed that the feeding of a lithogenic (LG) diet for 4 weeks or 8 weeks resulted in cholesterol gallstone incidences of 47% and 89%, respectively. These gallstone incidences were either reduced or prevented when the LG diet was enriched with 2% or 6% PC, respectively. The cholesterol saturation index (CSI) was reduced only in mice fed with LG + 6% PC diet as compared with mice fed the LG diet alone. However, in all groups, the CSI was significantly higher than in mice fed Purina chow diet. The biliary anionic polypeptide fraction (APF) was significantly increased in mice fed the LG + 2% PC diet and was reduced in those fed with LG + 6% PC diet. In conclusion, prevention or delay of gallstone formation was not due to a consistent effect on biliary lipid composition, suggesting a direct effect of PC on cholesterol solubilization and/or the effect of an additional nonlipid biliary component such as APF.
Highlights
Cholesterol gallstones affect approximately 10– 15% of the adult population in North America
Several factors are associated with cholelithiasis; genetic influences and nutrition are the major factors implicated in the formation of cholesterol gallstones
It has been reported that cholesterol gallstone prevalence varies between 0% to 100% in different strains of mice, including C57BL/6 mice [31]; the LG diet is essential for the formation of cholesterol gallstones [23, 32]
Summary
Cholesterol gallstones affect approximately 10– 15% of the adult population in North America. Phosphatidylcholine-enriched diet prevents gallstone formation in mice susceptible to cholelithiasis. Bile salts, phospholipids (PLs), and cholesterol are the major lipid components [7] and, depending on their relative concentrations, they interact to form several different biliary lipid micelles [8] These mixed micelles allow the cholesterol molecule to be transported in bile [9], being incorporated into the hydrophobic interior held in a stable thermodynamic state [10, 11]. The present study was designed to investigate the possible preventive effect of a diet enriched in PC on cholesterol gallstone formation in C57BL/6 mice.
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