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Oat bran lowers serum cholesterol in animals and humans. Propionate, a short-chain fatty acid produced by colonic bacterial fermentation of soluble fiber, is a potential mediator of this action. We tested the effect of propionate on hepatocyte lipid synthesis in rats using 1-14Cacetate, 3H2O, and 2-14Cmevalonate as precursors. Propionate produced a statistically significant inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis from 1-14Cacetate at a concentration of 1.0 mM and from 3H2O and 2-14Cmevalonate at concentrations of 2.5 mM. Propionate also produced a significant inhibition of fatty acid biosynthesis at concentrations of 2.5 mM using 1-14Cacetate as a precursor. The demonstration of propionate-mediated inhibition of cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis at these concentrations suggests that propionate may inhibit cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis in vivo and may mediate in part the hypolipidemic effects of soluble dietary fiber. Further studies are needed to clarify this action of propionate and to establish the exact mechanisms by which the inhibition occurs.
Wright et al. (Mon,) studied this question.