Dietary fatty acid metabolism: New insights into the similarities of lipid metabolism in humans and hamsters

Alaitz Berriozabalgoitia; Juan Carlos Ruiz de Gordoa; Gustavo Amores; Mailo Virto

doi:10.1016/j.fochms.2021.100060

Dietary fatty acid metabolism: New insights into the similarities of lipid metabolism in humans and hamsters

Food Chem (Oxf). 2021 Dec 3:4:100060. doi: 10.1016/j.fochms.2021.100060. eCollection 2022 Jul 30.

Authors

Alaitz Berriozabalgoitia¹, Juan Carlos Ruiz de Gordoa¹, Gustavo Amores¹, Mailo Virto¹

Affiliation

¹ Lactiker Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

Abstract

Hamsters have been long accepted as animal models to study the lipid metabolism in humans. However, very few scientific works described in detail the fatty acid (FA) composition of plasma and erythrocytes in hamsters in relation to their dietary intake, and none work was found comparing them with that described in humans. Therefore, a study was carried out to compare the effect of ingesting olive oil or dairy fat, as part of an equilibrated diet in healthy subjects, on plasma and erythrocytes FA composition. More than 40 FA were detected in samples of both species. It was demonstrated that plasma total FA (TFA) concentration and FA profiles are similar in humans and hamsters. In both species linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids are the main FA and accounted for the 70% of TFA. Differences found between species can be explained by differences in the dietary intake and differences in the proportion of triglycerides, cholesteryl esters and phospholipid fractions in plasma of both species. Changes in dietary FA intake causes similar changes in FA concentration in the plasma of both species and can be explained by the same metabolic processes. The erythrocyte FA profile differs more between the two species. Moreover, unlike humans, the FA profile of hamster erythrocytes is more sensitive to changes in dietary FA than that of plasma.

Keywords: ALA, Alpha-linolenic acid; ARA, Arachidonic acid; Animal models; BCFA, Methyl-branched chain fatty acids; CE, Cholesteryl esters; CLA, Conjugated linoleic acids; D6D, Delta-6 desaturase; DHA, Docosahexaenoic acid; Dairy fat; EPA, Eicosapentaenoic acid; Erythrocytes; FAME, Fatty acid methyl esters; Fatty acids; Fatty acids/metabolism; Hamsters; LA, Linoleic acid; LCPUFA, Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; LCSFA, Long chain saturated fatty acids; MCSFA, Medium-chain saturated fatty acids; OA, Oleic acid; Olive oil; PL, Phospholipds; PUFA, Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Plasma; RA, Rumenic acid; SCD-1, Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1; SFA, Saturated fatty acids; TC, Total Cholesterol; TFA, Total fatty acids; TG, Triglycerides; VA, Vaccenic acid; c-MUFA, cis-Monounsaturated fatty acids; t-MUFA, trans-Monounsaturated fatty acids.