AUTHOR=Uehara Yoshinari , Komatsu Tomohiro , Sasaki Kei , Abe Satomi , Nakashima Shihoko , Yamamoto Taiki , Kim Ji-Eun , Cho Kyung-Hyun 

TITLE=Cuban policosanol improves high-density lipoprotein cholesterol efflux capacity in healthy Japanese subjects

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1297008

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2023.1297008

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p>Policosanol supplementation has been reported to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (HDL-C). However, the association between Cuban policosanol supplementation and HDL cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC), an important function of HDL, remains unclear. We performed a lipoprotein analysis investigating 32 Japanese healthy participants (placebo, <italic>n</italic> = 17 or policosanol supplementation for 12 weeks, <italic>n</italic> = 15) from a randomized Cuban policosanol clinical trial. First, HDL CEC and HDL-related factors were measured before and after policosanol supplementation. Then, through electron microscopy after ultracentrifugation and high-performance liquid chromatography, HDL morphology and subclass were analyzed, respectively. Finally, the effects of policosanol supplementation regarding HDL function, HDL-related factors, and HDL morphology/component were examined. Cuban policosanol considerably increased the HDL CEC and HDL-C and apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) levels. Furthermore, policosanol supplementation led to larger HDL particles, increased cholesterol content in larger HDL particles, and reduced triglyceride content in smaller HDL particles. In participants with high baseline HDL-C levels, the policosanol effects for HDL CEC are observed. HDL CEC fluctuation induced by policosanol was highly associated with HDL-C and ApoA-I changes. In conclusion, for the first time, we demonstrated that policosanol supplementation increased the HDL CEC in healthy participants.</p>