Effects of Egg Phospholipids on the Intestinal Absorption of Lipids

This study was conducted to determine the effects of egg phospholipids [(Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM)] on intestinal absorption of cholesterol and other lipids. Each rat with Iymph cannula was infused via a duodenal catheter at 3.0 mL/h for 8 h with a lipid emulsion containing triolein, cholesterol and PC in 24 mL PBS. The PC in the lipid emulsion was egg PC (EPC), hydrogenated egg PC (HPC), or soy PC (SPC). The EPC in the lipid emulsion markedly lowered the Iymphatic absorption of cholesterol, compared with SPC and a lipid emulsion containing no PC. The HPC further lowered the absorption of cholesterol. The phospholipid output was not affected by the source of PC infused. The total Iymphatic output of oleic acid (18: 1), the major fatty acid infused in the form of triolein, did not differ among the NPC, SPC and EPC groups, but was significantly lower in the HPC group. The findings provide the first evidence that EPC markedly lowers the Iymphatic absorption of cholesterol under in vivo conditions. The inhibitory effect of EPC appears to be due to the higher degree of saturation of its acyl groups relative to SPC, suggesting that the intestinal absorption of egg cholesterol may be reduced by the presence of PC in e99 yolk. Experiment 2 was designed to determine whether egg SM, structurally similar to PC, also inhibits the Iymphatic absorption of cholesterol. Egg SM lowered the Lymphatic absorption of cholesterol in a dose dependent manner. Likewise, SM lowered the Iymphatic absorption of oleic acid, whereas it had no effect on retinol absorption. SM at a high dose lowered the Iymphatic outputs of both PC and SM, whereas there was no such effect at a lower dose. These results also indicate that luminal egg SM has an inhibitory effect on the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and other lipids of relatively high hydrophobicity.