Cholesterol autoxidation-current status

Identification of 3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-cholest-6-ene-5-hydroperoxide in human oxidized LDL

Oxidized LDL exhibits cytotoxic activity towards endothelial cells, which is thought to be mediated by the products derived also from cholesterol oxidation, mainly involving the B-ring. By LC-PB-EI-MS and EI-MS/MS analysis, we have identified 3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-cholest-6-ene-5-hydroperoxide among the cholesterol oxidation products in LDL incubated with micromolar concentrations of copper ions.

Free radicals in foods

During the last decade increasing attention has been given to the role of free radicals in biological oxidations. The subject has been of increasing interest to both the food scientist and the physiologist. Free radical scavengers in the form of both indigenous and added antioxidants are necessary for the successful preservation of food; free radicals are increasingly being implicated in the onset of, among others, ischaemic heart disease and for protection against these diseases it is suggested that the dietary intake of the antioxidant vitamins should be increased especially for diets high in polyunsaturated fats. Convenience and snack foods which absorb substantial amounts of frying oils are being increasingly consumed. Since poly-unsaturated fatty acids are particularly susceptible to oxidation by free radicals during the storage, cooking and frying of foods, the potential risk of exposure to lipid degradation products is likely to have increased. In foods the non-enzymic and lipoxy-genase catalysed oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamin A can result in the loss of essential nutrients and the development of off-flavours.

Identification of thermal oxidation products of cholesteryl acetate

The polar products separated by solid-phase extraction from the peroxidation mixture of cholesteryl acetate, were investigated. The oxidation products were identified by comparing GC retention times as well as the mass spectra against those of available or synthesized standards. The main oxidation products where 7 beta-chydroperoxicholesteryl acetate, 7 alpha-hydroperoxicholesteryl acetate, 7-ketocholesteryl acetate, the alpha and beta isomers of 7-hydroxycholesteryl acetate, the alpha- and beta-epoxy isomers in 5,6 position and several derivatives from the loss of groups (especially the acetic and/or hydroxyl groups in the form of acetic acid and water).

Parameters influencing cholesterol oxidation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of temperature, oxidation time, presence of water, pH, type of buffer and form of substrate used on cholesterol oxidation. Microcrystalline cholesterol films, both solid and melted, and aqueous suspensions of film fragments were used as substrates. Use of dispersing agents was avoided. Quantitative analysis of the unaltered substrate and the products of its autoxidation was carried out by gas chromatography over the course of oxidation. Solid cholesterol films were found to be resistant to autoxidation in the dry state. However, when heated at 125 degrees C, a sudden increase in oxidation rate occurred at a point coinciding with the visible melting followed by a plateau of the oxidation rate. All of the autoxidation products formed underwent further decomposition. Film fragments of cholesterol oxidized at a faster rate in aqueous suspensions than when oxidized in the dry state. In aqueous suspensions, the differences in the resistance of cholesterol to oxidation were not significant within the pH range 6.0-7.4, except for the early stages of oxidation. The 7-ketocholesterol/7-hydroxycholesterol ratio dropped significantly with increasing pH. However, at all pH levels tested, this ratio remained relatively constant during the 6 h of heating. While the 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol/7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol ratio was not affected by pH in the range of 6.0-7.4, at pH 7.4 a high preference was observed for the cholesterol beta-epoxide over its alpha-isomer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Lipid oxidation products in food and atherogenesis

Lipid oxidation products are present in unknown amounts in the food supply of industrialized societies. Evidence for a putative role of some of these compounds in accelerating events in the atherogenic process--the initiation of endothelial injury, the accumulation of plaque, and the termination phase of thrombosis--comes from both animal and human studies. Although metabolic and epidemiological studies in humans and animals generally support the concept that a higher intake of polyunsaturates is beneficial to lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular health, some findings suggest that a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids that are insufficiently protected by antioxidants, such as vitamin E, may carry a higher risk of atherosclerosis. Although gross pathological effects of ingestion of lipid oxidation products are unlikely in the human feeding situation, more subtle metabolic actions of these compounds on vitamin E status, platelet activity, and lipoprotein metabolism cannot yet be discounted. The presence of reactive lipid oxidation components in foods needs more systematic research in terms of the metabolic effects of these compounds and their occurrence in the usual diet, as well as the associated antioxidant requirements.

Routes of formation and toxic consequences of lipid oxidation products in foods

Lipid oxidation in foods is initiated by free radical and/or singlet oxygen mechanisms which generate a series of autocatalytic free radical reactions. These autoxidation reactions lead to the breakdown of lipid and to the formation of a wide array of oxidation products. The nature and proportion of these products can vary widely between foods and depend on the composition of the food as well as numerous environmental factors. The toxicological significance of lipid oxidation in foods is complicated by interactions of secondary lipid oxidation products with other food components. These interactions could either form complexes that limit the bioavailability of lipid breakdown products or can lead to the formation of toxic products derived from non-lipid sources. A lack of gross pathological consequences has generally been observed in animals fed oxidized fats. On the other hand, secondary products of lipid autoxidation can be absorbed and may cause an increase in oxidative stress and deleterious changes in lipoprotein and platelet metabolism. The presence of reactive lipid oxidation products in foods needs more systematic research in terms of complexities of food component interactions and the metabolic processing of these compounds.

Unusual product ratios resulting from the gamma-irradiation of cholesterol in liposomes

Cholesterol in aqueous suspensions of multilamellar vesicles (MLV) was exposed to gamma-irradiation (0.5-10 kGy) at 0-4 degrees C. Cholesterol oxidation products resulting from the irradiation were isolated by dry column extraction followed by preparative thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and were quantitated by on-column gas chromatography (GC). The ratio of 7-ketocholesterol/cholesterol 5,6-epoxides generated by irradiation was less than one, much lower than the ratio of ten commonly produced by autoxidation. Irradiation also produced relatively higher amounts of 7-hydroxycholesterol than did autoxidation. These unique product ratios may be suitable indicators of past exposure to irradiation.

Reaction of cholesterol 5,6-epoxides with simulated gastric juice

Cholesterol 5 alpha,6 alpha-epoxide (alpha-epoxide) and cholesterol 5 beta,6 beta-epoxide (beta-epoxide) were individually suspended in simulated gastric juice (pH 1.2) at 37 C, and their reaction was followed by gradient high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with flame ionization (FID) detection. Both epoxides reacted rapidly in the aqueous acid medium. The alpha-epoxide formed 6 beta-chlorocholestane-3 beta,5 alpha-diol (alpha-chlorohydrin) and 5 alpha-cholestane-3 beta,5,6 beta-triol (triol), while the beta-epoxide formed 5 alpha-chlorocholestane-3 beta,6 beta-diol (beta-chlorohydrin) and triol. The isomeric chlorohydrins reacted further to form the triol. In mildly alkaline aqueous medium, each chlorohydrin reverted to the epoxide from which it was formed. The data suggest that both epoxides, which have been reported to have adverse health effects in animals, would be largely hydrolyzed in the stomach and to the triol, which also has been reported to have biological activity. The data further suggest that residual chlorohydrins surviving stomach residence can be expected to revert to epoxide in the more alkaline intestinal environment.