Decoding the mechanism of dietary fatty acids-driven phytosterol esterification promoting intestinal absorption

Abstract

This study demonstrates dietary fatty acids modulate rate-limiting steps in phytosterol (PS) absorption, with esterification rate (ER) of PS correlating with its absorption efficiency and underpinning the importance of sterol esterification. Fatty acid structure governs PS chylomicron (CM) formation, with lower Logarithm of partition coefficient (LogP) fatty acids exhibiting higher CM levels about PS. Fatty acid configuration critically modulates the ER of PS: For C18-C20 fatty acids, ER of PS declines as chain length increases, while C20 fatty acids displayed enhanced ER of PS upon unsaturation increase. These findings confirm that fatty acids structural properties influence CM formation of PS assembly via polarity regulation LogP or enhance PS esterification to enhance CM containing PS biogenesis. The established fatty acids structure-PS absorption characteristics relationships provide mechanistic insights into how dietary fatty acids promote PS absorption and cholesterol-lowering effects.