W1379 A Cholesterol-Rich Diet But Not Enterohepatic Helicobacter Infection Prolongs Small Intestinal Transit in Mice

Abstract

Introduction: Lithogenic diet and infection with enterohepatic helicobacter are important for cholesterol gallstone formation in mice. Cholesterol gallstone formation in humans is associated with slowed intestinal transit, which increases cholesterol absorption and prolithogenic deoxycholate formation. Here we studied the effects of a lithogenic diet as well as enterohepatic helicobacter infection on small intestinal transit in inbred mice to determine if either or both promote prolonged small intestinal transit in mice. Methods: Male C57L/ J mice were infected with H. hepaticus or left uninfected and fed either a lithogenic diet (containing 15% dairy triglycerides, 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid) or standard mouse chow (<0.02% cholesterol). Small intestinal transit was evaluated by intraduodenal infusion of 3H-sitostanol dissolved in MCT and calculated in terms of geometric center at 20 min. Results (Figure): Uninfected mice fed a chow diet (UC) displayed a significantly faster transit time than either uninfected mice fed a lithogenic diet (UL) or infected mice fed a lithogenic diet (IL, P<0.005). Moreover, small intestinal transit in infected mice fed a chow diet (IC) was significantly faster than in IL mice (P<0.05), but transit between UC and IC mice did not differ. Conclusions: Lithogenic diet but not H. hepaticus infection slows small intestinal transit significantly. This study demonstrates that this enterohepatic helicobacter infection does not exert its pro-lithogenic effect through modulation of small intestinal transit time.