High-phytosterol rapeseed oil prevents atherosclerosis by reducing intestinal barrier dysfunction and cholesterol uptake in ApoE−/− mice

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic vascular disease characterized by the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque and high serum cholesterol. This study focused on the role of intestinal cholesterol uptake and barrier integrity of AS mice to investigate the anti-AS mechanism of high-phytosterol rapeseed oil (HPRO). The results showed that HPRO exhibited a significant anti-AS effect, which significantly reduced aortic plaque and serum cholesterol content, and increased aortic diameter. The comprehensive analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis on the intestine showed that HPRO mainly regulated primary bile acid biosynthesis and cholesterol metabolism. Interestingly, HPRO was found to reduce cholesterol absorption, transport, and micellar cholesterol content in the intestine, and the effect of HPRO was better than β-sitosterol. In addition, the expression of ZO-1 and occludin increased in both Caco-2 cells and the mice intestine, suggesting that HPRO can improve intestinal barrier function. Overall, these findings suggested that HPRO showed a significant preventative action on AS by reducing intestinal barrier and cholesterol intake dysfunction.