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PloS One 2014Neanderthal dietary reconstructions have, to date, been based on indirect evidence and may underestimate the significance of plants as a food source. While...
Neanderthal dietary reconstructions have, to date, been based on indirect evidence and may underestimate the significance of plants as a food source. While zooarchaeological and stable isotope data have conveyed an image of Neanderthals as largely carnivorous, studies on dental calculus and scattered palaeobotanical evidence suggest some degree of contribution of plants to their diet. However, both views remain plausible and there is no categorical indication of an omnivorous diet. Here we present direct evidence of Neanderthal diet using faecal biomarkers, a valuable analytical tool for identifying dietary provenance. Our gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results from El Salt (Spain), a Middle Palaeolithic site dating to ca. 50,000 yr. BP, represents the oldest positive identification of human faecal matter. We show that Neanderthals, like anatomically modern humans, have a high rate of conversion of cholesterol to coprostanol related to the presence of required bacteria in their guts. Analysis of five sediment samples from different occupation floors suggests that Neanderthals predominantly consumed meat, as indicated by high coprostanol proportions, but also had significant plant intake, as shown by the presence of 5β-stigmastanol. This study highlights the applicability of the biomarker approach in Pleistocene contexts as a provider of direct palaeodietary information and supports the opportunity for further research into cholesterol metabolism throughout human evolution.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Cholestanol; Cholesterol; Feces; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Humans; Meals; Neanderthals; Sitosterols
PubMed: 24963925
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101045 -
Bioscience Reports Oct 2018This short article provides a comment on the recent article by Tauriainen et al. [ (2018) , BSR20171274 https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20171274].
This short article provides a comment on the recent article by Tauriainen et al. [ (2018) , BSR20171274 https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20171274].
Topics: Bile; Humans; Liver; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Obesity; Sitosterols
PubMed: 30287500
DOI: 10.1042/BSR20180505 -
Journal of Lipid Research Nov 1991A simple and precise micro-method for measurement of daily fecal excretion of neutral and acidic sterols has been developed which utilizes sitostanol (24-ethyl-5...
A simple and precise micro-method for measurement of daily fecal excretion of neutral and acidic sterols has been developed which utilizes sitostanol (24-ethyl-5 alpha-cholestane-3 beta-ol) as fecal flow and recovery marker. Extractions of sterols were performed from 50 microliters of fecal homogenate (feces-water 1:1), and analyses of neutral and acidic sterols were carried out by gas-liquid chromatography. The method is sensitive, precise, and easy to perform; the intra-assay variability yielded coefficients of variations of 1.9% and 3.5% (n = 6) for neutral and acidic sterols, respectively. The results from this method were compared with those obtained with the standard fecal flow marker chromic oxide. The correlation coefficients between the two markers were compared in 16 subjects and were 0.938 and 0.998 for excretion of neutral sterols and acidic sterols, respectively. Comparison of the fecal excretion of neutral and acidic sterols in 12 subjects determined from frozen samples and aliquots (approximately 1 g) sent by ordinary mail to the laboratory (transport time 1 to 5 days) gave identical results using sitostanol as fecal flow marker (818 +/- (SEM) 85 mg/day vs. 838 +/- 89 mg/day for neutral sterols and 417 +/- 59 mg/day vs. 414 +/- 60 mg/day for acidic sterols). The new micro-method is ideally suited for research laboratories in need of a simple, accurate, inexpensive, and high through-put method for measuring daily fecal excretion of neutral and acidic sterols, as well as total cholesterol synthesis, and can be performed on an outpatient basis.
Topics: Adult; Chromatography, Gas; Chromium; Chromium Compounds; Feces; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Male; Outpatients; Sitosterols; Sterols
PubMed: 1770305
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Lipid Research Jul 2004In the present study, we investigated whether intestinal sterol efflux transporters Abcg5 and Abcg8 play a major role in determining variations in cholesterol (Ch)... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
In the present study, we investigated whether intestinal sterol efflux transporters Abcg5 and Abcg8 play a major role in determining variations in cholesterol (Ch) absorption efficiency, and we compared the physiological functions of the duodenal, jejunal, and ileal Abcg5 and Abcg8 on the absorption of Ch and sitostanol in inbred mice challenged with various amounts of Ch, sitostanol, hydrophilic, or hydrophobic bile acids. We found that Abcg5 and Abcg8 in the jejunum and ileum, but not in the duodenum, were main factors in determining, in part, variations in Ch absorption efficiency. The jejunal and ileal Abcg5 and Abcg8 played a major regulatory role in response to high dietary cholesterol and were more sensitive in the regulation of Ch absorption when compared with sitostanol absorption. These results, combined with different sterol uptake rates, suggest that the absorption efficiency of Ch and sitostanol is determined by the net results between influx and efflux of intraluminal Ch and sitostanol molecules crossing the apical membrane of the enterocyte. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic bile acids influenced Ch absorption through mediating Ch solubilization and its physical-chemical state within the small intestinal lumen. We conclude that Ch absorption is mainly regulated by the jejunal and ileal Abcg5 and Abcg8 in mice.
Topics: ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 5; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 8; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; Animals; Bile Acids and Salts; Cholesterol; Duodenum; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Ileum; Intestinal Absorption; Jejunum; Lipoproteins; Mice; Sitosterols
PubMed: 15102882
DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M400030-JLR200 -
Clinical and Experimental Immunology Jan 1996An antibody reactive with cholesterol sulphate (CS) was characterized in human sera by ELISA, erythrocyte and liposome absorption. This antibody was found evenly...
An antibody reactive with cholesterol sulphate (CS) was characterized in human sera by ELISA, erythrocyte and liposome absorption. This antibody was found evenly distributed between the IgA and IgM classes, and whilst this was present at low titres in the serum of 16% of healthy individuals studied, it was significantly elevated in 78% of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected subjects. No association was found between antibody levels and the degree of myocardial damage. No significant difference in immunoreactivity was found between healthy and chagasic subjects using dehydro-epiandrosterone sulphate and pregnenolone sulphate and cholesterol, ergosterol, lanosterol, stigmastanol, beta-stigmasterol, pregnenolone, prednisolone and dehydroepiandrosterone as antigens, suggesting that in chagasic sera the whole sterol molecule is important for optimal antibody binding. CS-reactive antibodies were easily purified by absorption either with CS-bearing liposomes or with dextran sulphate gel and further elution with 1.5 M NaCl. The optimal pH of CS-antibody interaction was 4.0 with 85% binding at pH 7.0. Polylysine strongly decreased the binding of these antibodies to the corresponding antigen. Furthermore, these antibodies were strongly absorbed by rabbit and guinea pig erythrocyte but not by rat or human erythrocyte. In contrast with anti-sulphatide antibodies, no significant increase in CS-reactive antibodies was found in dilated cardiomyopathies. Whilst CS itself was not detected in T. cruzi lipid extracts, there is an unidentified sulphated sterol, which migrates close to standard CS and which strongly binds chagasic but not control sera. This latter sterol might be acting in chagasic patients as a powerful antigen, triggering specific autoantibody production.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Antibody Specificity; Autoantibodies; Binding Sites, Antibody; Carbohydrates; Chagas Disease; Cholesterol Esters; Chromatography, Gel; Chronic Disease; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Erythrocytes; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Immunoglobulins; Lipids; Liposomes; Osmolar Concentration; Peptides; Polyglutamic Acid; Polylysine; Trypanosoma cruzi
PubMed: 8565284
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2249.1996.877569.x -
Lipids in Health and Disease Jul 2009The aim of this work was to assess the effect of chronic administration of protonated nanostructured aluminosilicate (NSAS) on the plasma cholesterol levels and...
Protonated nanostructured aluminosilicate (NSAS) reduces plasma cholesterol concentrations and atherosclerotic lesions in Apolipoprotein E deficient mice fed a high cholesterol and high fat diet.
The aim of this work was to assess the effect of chronic administration of protonated nanostructured aluminosilicate (NSAS) on the plasma cholesterol levels and development of atherosclerotic lesions in Apolipoprotein (ApoE) deficient mice fed a high cholesterol and high fat diet. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) deficient mice were divided into the following treatment groups: protonated NSAS 1.4% (w/w), untreated control and 2% (w/w) stigmastanol mixed with high-cholesterol/high-fat diet. Animals were treated for 12 weeks, blood samples were withdrawn every 4 weeks for determination of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. At the end of the study the aortic roots were harvested for assessment of atherosclerotic lesions. NSAS at 1.4% (w/w) and stigmastanol at 2% (w/w) treatment groups showed significant decreases in plasma cholesterol concentrations at all time points relative to the control animals. The lesion sum area in 1.4% (w/w) NSAS and 2% (w/w) stigmastanol groups were significantly less from the control animals. In conclusion, in this study, the effectiveness of chronic administration of protonated NSAS material in the reduction of plasma cholesterol levels and decrease in development of atherosclerotic lesions was demonstrated in Apo-E deficient mice model.
Topics: Aluminum Silicates; Animals; Anticholesteremic Agents; Aorta; Aortic Diseases; Apolipoproteins E; Atherosclerosis; Bentonite; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, Dietary; Dietary Fats; Disease Models, Animal; Metal Nanoparticles; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Molecular Structure; Triglycerides
PubMed: 19638223
DOI: 10.1186/1476-511X-8-30 -
European Journal of Biochemistry Dec 1971
Topics: Carbon Isotopes; Esters; Ethanol; Methylation; Myxomycetes; Oxidation-Reduction; Sterols; Tritium
PubMed: 5167779
DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1971.tb01652.x -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta Jun 2010The phase behavior of mixtures formed with palmitic acid (PA) and one of the following sterols (dihydrocholesterol, ergosterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol, stigmasterol and...
The phase behavior of mixtures formed with palmitic acid (PA) and one of the following sterols (dihydrocholesterol, ergosterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol, stigmasterol and stigmastanol), in a PA/sterol molar ratio of 3/7, has been characterized by IR and (2)H NMR spectroscopy at different pH. Our study shows that it is possible to form liquid-ordered (lo) lamellar phases with these binary non-phospholipid mixtures. The characterization of alkyl chain dynamics of PA in these systems revealed the large ordering effect of the sterols. It was possible to extrude these systems, using standard extrusion techniques, to form large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs), except in the case of ergosterol-containing mixture. The resulting LUVs displayed a very limited passive permeability consistent with the high sterol concentration. In addition, the stability of these PA/sterol self-assembled bilayers was also found to be pH-sensitive, therefore, potentially useful as nanovectors. By examining different sterols, we could establish some correlations between the structure of these bilayers and their permeability properties. The structure of the side chain at C17 of the sterol appears to play a prime role in the mixing properties with fatty acid.
Topics: Liposomes; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Palmitic Acid; Sterols
PubMed: 20153720
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2010.02.008 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Dec 2002Cholesterol and other sterols exit the body primarily by secretion into bile. In patients with sitosterolemia, mutations in either of two ATP-binding cassette (ABC)...
Cholesterol and other sterols exit the body primarily by secretion into bile. In patients with sitosterolemia, mutations in either of two ATP-binding cassette (ABC) half-transporters, ABCG5 or ABCG8, lead to reduced secretion of sterols into bile, implicating these transporters in this process. To elucidate the roles of ABCG5 and ABCG8 in the trafficking of sterols, we disrupted Abcg5 and Abcg8 in mice (G5G8(-/-)). The G5G8(-/-) mice had a 2- to 3-fold increase in the fractional absorption of dietary plant sterols, which was associated with an approximately 30-fold increase in plasma sitosterol. Biliary cholesterol concentrations were extremely low in the G5G8(-/-) mice when compared with wild-type animals (mean = 0.4 vs. 5.5 micromol ml) and increased only modestly with cholesterol feeding. Plasma and liver cholesterol levels were reduced by 50% in the chow-fed G5G8(-/-) mice and increased 2.4- and 18-fold, respectively, after cholesterol feeding. These data indicate that ABCG5 and ABCG8 are required for efficient secretion of cholesterol into bile and that disruption of these genes increases dramatically the responsiveness of plasma and hepatic cholesterol levels to changes in dietary cholesterol content.
Topics: ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 5; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 8; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; Animal Feed; Animals; Bile; Biological Transport; Chimera; Cholestanol; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, Dietary; Crosses, Genetic; Dietary Fats; Female; Gene Targeting; Intestinal Absorption; Intestinal Mucosa; Lipoproteins; Liver; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Phytosterols; Sitosterols
PubMed: 12444248
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.252582399 -
PloS One 2012In vitro and animal studies have suggested that plant sterols and stanols increase cytokine production by T-helper-1 cells. This may be beneficial for patient groups...
BACKGROUND
In vitro and animal studies have suggested that plant sterols and stanols increase cytokine production by T-helper-1 cells. This may be beneficial for patient groups characterized by a T-helper-2 dominant immune response, e.g. asthma patients. (1) to evaluate whether sitostanol induces a T-helper-1 shift in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from asthma patients, and (2) to unravel the role of regulatory T-cells in this respect.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
PBMCs from 10 asthma patients and 10 healthy subjects were isolated and incubated with 1.2 µM sitostanol, while stimulated with 5 µg/ml PHA. Similar amounts of cholesterol were used to determine whether effects were specific for plant stanols or for sterols in general. Changes in cytokine production were measured using antibody arrays and ELISAs. Changes in regulatory T-cell population size were measured by flow cytometry, using intracellular Foxp3 staining. Sitostanol increased production of IFNγ by 6.5% and IL-2 by 6.0% compared to cholesterol (p<0.01). No changes in IL-4 and IL-13 were found. Interestingly, this effect was only present in PBMCs from asthma patients. The number of Foxp3+ cells tended to increase and their activity, measured by IL-10 production, increased after sitostanol treatment in PBMCs from asthma patients compared to controls by 32.3% (p = 0.077) and 13.3% (p<0.05), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE
Altogether, the sitostanol-induced Thelper-1 shift in PBMCs from asthma patients and the stimulating effects of sitostanol on Treg cell numbers and activity indicate a possible novel approach for plant stanol ester enriched functional foods in the amelioration of asthmatic symptoms. Functional effects, however, require further evaluation.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Anticholesteremic Agents; Asthma; Cells, Cultured; Cholesterol; Cytokines; Female; Humans; K562 Cells; Killer Cells, Natural; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Count; Lysosomal-Associated Membrane Protein 1; Male; Middle Aged; Natural Killer T-Cells; Pyroglyphidae; Sitosterols; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Th17 Cells; Young Adult
PubMed: 23091602
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046895