A 4-week study of four 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol diesters on lipid metabolism in C57BL/6J mice

• CDP, CDS, CDO and CDL significantly increased the serum TC, LDL-C levels at dose of 16.5 μmol/kg/day respectively.
• CDP, CDS, CDO and CDL significantly increased liver TG, TC levels at dose of 16.5 μmol/kg/day respectively.
• Oil red O staining confirmed CDP, CDS, CDO and CDL significantly increased fat accumulation in liver.

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters have been detected in many foods, which have become a new safety issue worldwide. In the study, we investigated the effect of four 3-MCPD diesters (palmitate diester: CDP; stearate diester: CDS; oleate diester: CDO; linoleate diester: CDL) on lipid metabolism in C57BL/6J mice. The results showed that CDP, CDS, CDO and CDL significantly increased the serum TC, LDL-C levels and liver TG, TC levels at dose of 16.5 μmol/kg/day. These results indicated that 3-MCPD diesters could potentially cause hyperlipidemia in C57BL/6J mice. Moreover, oil red O staining confirmed fat accumulation in liver induced by 3-MCPD diesters. Our work will provide more information for safety evaluation of 3-MCPD diesters. However, whether free 3-MCPD or free fatty acids or combined action compensates for the hyperlipidemia effects should be elucidated in the future.