Isolated conglutin gamma from lupin, but not phytate, lowers serum cholesterol without influencing vascular lesion development in the ApoE-deficient mouse model

Conglutin gamma and phytate are considered as potential biofunctional compounds of lupin protein isolate, but their impact on vascular health is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of conglutin gamma and phytate, respectively, on circulating levels of sterols, markers of cholesterol biosynthesis and minerals, and on the development and progression of aortic lesions in apoE-deficient mice. To this end, mice were fed a western diet with either casein (200 g/kg; served as a control), conglutin gamma from L. angustifolius (200 g/kg) or casein (200 g/kg) supplemented with phytate (5 g/kg) for 16 weeks. Here we found that conglutin gamma but not phytate was capable of reducing the circulating concentration of cholesterol. Plasma levels of desmosterol and lathosterol as markers of the cholesterol synthesis were not affected, and 7-dehydrocholesterol was even higher in mice fed conglutin gamma than in mice fed casein or casein + phytate. All mice developed pronounced aortic lesions, but histological characterization of plaque area and composition showed no differences between the three groups of mice. Conclusively, conglutin gamma exerts cholesterol-lowering effects but appears to have no anti-atherosclerotic properties in the apoE-deficient mice. Phytate neither affected plasma cholesterol nor aortic lesion development.