Medium-chain triglycerides promote macrophage reverse cholesterol transport and improve atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet

We previously observed that medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) could reduce body fat mass and improve the metabolism of cholesterol. We hypothesized that MCTs can improve atherosclerosis by promoting the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) process. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the roles of MCTs in macrophage RCT and the progression of atherosclerosis. To test this hypothesis, 30 4-week-old ApoE-deficient (ApoE −/−) mice were randomly divided into 2 groups and fed a diet of 2% MCTs or long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) for 16 weeks.

Source: Nutrition Research - June 2, 2016 Category: Nutrition Authors: Xinsheng Zhang, Yong Zhang, Yinghua Liu, Jin Wang, Qing Xu, Xiaoming Yu, Xueyan Yang, Zhao Liu, Changyong Xue Source Type: research