Cholesterol-lowering effect of dietary Lupinus angustifolius proteins in adult rats through regulation of genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis

In the absence of a clear indication from previous studies, a rat study was designed to evaluate a possible hypolipidaemic effect of Lupinus angustifolius (blue lupin) proteins. Rats were fed for 28 days Nath’s hypercholesterolaemic diets containing 20% casein or blue lupin proteins. After 14 and 28 days of dietary treatment, blue-lupin-fed rats had markedly lower plasma total cholesterol levels than rats fed casein (−53.0% and −55.3%, respectively, p < 0.0005). No significant differences were instead observed for triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol levels between the two groups. Lupin-protein-fed rats displayed higher hepatic mRNA levels of SREBP-2, a major transcriptional regulator of intracellular cholesterol levels, and CYP7A1, the rate-limiting enzyme in bile acid biosynthesis (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the present study demonstrates a marked cholesterol-lowering activity of proteins from L. angustifolius in rats. Moreover, blue lupin proteins appear to affect cellular lipid homeostasis by up-regulating SREBP-2 and CYP7A1 genes.