Regulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism by dietary oxidized fat

Although oxidized fats are widely considered to have detrimental effects on human health, a large number of feeding studies with experimental animals have consistently demonstrated that oxidized fats, compared with fresh fats, cause a reduction in the concentrations of triacylglycerols and cholesterol in liver and plasma. The reason for these effects became clear when recently it was shown that thermo-oxidized fats contain characteristic substances such as hydroxylated fatty acids and cyclic fatty acid monomers which are potent ligands and activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha - a transcription factor controlling genes involved in fatty acid and lipoprotein metabolism. In addition, oxidized fats have also been reported to inhibit expression of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis and cholesterol homeostasis. These effects are mediated by inhibiting the maturation of sterol regulatory-element binding proteins, which are transcription factors regulating genes involved in fatty acid synthesis and cholesterol homeostasis. This review summarizes the phenotypical alterations of lipid metabolism observed in feeding studies dealing with oxidized fats and addresses the molecular mechanisms underlying these lipid metabolism alterations, in particular the lipid lowering effects of dietary oxidized fats.