Certain biochemical effects of garlic oil on rats maintained on high fat-high cholesterol diet

The feeding of a high fat-high cholesterol (HF-HC) diet to normal rats for 1 month increased the lipid components cholesterol and triglyceride in serum, liver and kidneys and decreased the serum albumin very significantly. Administration of garlic oil (100 mg/kg b. wt/day) for 1 month together with the HF-HC diet to another group almost nullified the lipid-increasing and albumin-decreasing effects of that diet. The reduction in total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides and the restoration to normal level of serum albumin were highly significant in the garlic oil group. Adipose tissue triglyceride lipase activity was significantly increased in both the above groups with a much greater rise in the oil group.     

Certain biochemical effects of garlic oil on rats maintained on high fat-high cholesterol diet

Summary The feeding of a high fat-high cholesterol (HF-HC) diet to normal rats for 1 month increased the lipid components cholesterol and triglyceride in serum, liver and kidneys and decreased the serum albumin very significantly. Administration of garlic oil (100 mg/kg b. wt/day) for 1 month together with the HF-HC diet to another group almost nullified the lipid-increasing and albumin-decreasing effects of that diet. The reduction in total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides and the restoration to normal level of serum albumin were highly significant in the garlic oil group. Adipose tissue triglyceride lipase activity was significantly increased in both the above groups with a much greater rise in the oil group.     

Effect of Royal Jelly on serum lipids in experimental animals and humans with atherosclerosis

The primary objective of this review was to assess the size and consistency of Royal Jelly (RJ) effect on serum lipids in experimental animals and humans. The data from animal studies were pooled, where possible, and statistically evaluated by Student's t-test. Meta-analysis was used for the evaluation of human trials. It was found that RJ significantly decreased serum and liver total lipids and cholesterol levels in rats and rabbits and also retarded the formation of atheromas in the aorta of rabbits fed a hyperlipemic diet. Meta-analysis of the controlled human trials of RJ to reduce hyperlipidemia showed a significant reduction in total serum lipids and cholesterol levels and normalization of HDL and LDL as determined from decrease in β/α lipoproteins. The best available evidence suggests that RJ at approximately 50 to 100 mg per day, decreased total serum cholesterol levels by about 14%, and total serum lipids by about 10% in the group of patients studied.     

Ovarian stimulation by exogenous gonadotrophins in fetal ethanol-exposed immature rats

Summary Adult pregnant rats were given either an ad libitum liquid diet containing 5% ethanol, a pair fed liquid diet or an ad libitum diet of rat chow and water administered throughout pregnancy and during the nursing period. The female offspring received either pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) or PMSG followed by human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) at 30 days of age. The ovaries of fetal ethanol-exposed animals responded greater to the exogeneous gonadotrophins with enhanced ovarian weights, increased numbers of ova shed, greater numbers of corpora lutea and antral follicles, and higher serum progesterone levels than in animals exposed to the control diets during gestation.     

Ovarian stimulation by exogenous gonadotrophins in fetal ethanol-exposed immature rats

Adult pregnant rats were given either an ad libitum liquid diet containing 5% ethanol, a pair fed liquid diet or an ad libitum diet of rat chow and water administered throughout pregnancy and during the nursing period. The female offspring received either pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) or PMSG followed by human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) at 30 days of age. The ovaries of fetal ethanol-exposed animals responded greater to the exogenous gonadotrophins with enhanced ovarian weights, increased numbers of ova shed, greater numbers of corpora lutea and antral follicles, and higher serum progesterone levels than in animals exposed to the control diets during gestation.     

Hypolipidemic action of onion and garlic unsaturated oils in sucrose fed rats over a two-month period

Summary The feeding of a high-sucrose diet to normal rats for a period of 2 months increased serum and tissue cholesterol and triglycerides very significantly. Simultaneous feeding of the unsaturated oils of onion or garlic with the sucrose diet counterated these effects of sucrose. However, along with the lipid-reducing effects, a small but significant tissue-protein reducing effect of the oils were also observed. The hypolipidemic action of the oils may be related to their action on both lipid and protein synthesis.The authors acknowledge with thanks Prof. J. K. Sen Gupta, and the authorities of the University of Maiduguri for the award of a grant to this project. Authors, to whom reprint requests should be addressed.     

Increase in Na+, K+ -ATPase enzyme units in liver and kidneys from essential fatty acid deficient rats.

(3H)-Ouabain binding to liver and kidney preparations was utilized to estimate the number of Na+, K+-ATPase enzyme units in livers and kidneys from rats fed 2% corn oil supplemented or fat-free diets. The specific (3H)-ouabain binding in liver and kidney preparations from fatty acid deficient rats was increased approximately 40%, but the affinity of the binding sites for ouabain (Kd-value) remained unchanged. The increased concentration of Na+, K+-ATPase enzyme units observed in the essential fatty acid deficient rats may contribute to the reduced body fat accumulation and elevated heat production observed in these animals.     

Cholesterol feeding to rats does not modulate the expression of binding sites for HDL on liver membranes

The binding of HDL, Apo-E-free, was studied in rats fed a cholesterol rich diet for 2, 4 and 7 days. Plasma cholesterol increased up to 16-fold (from 55 to 900 mg/dl); liver cholesterol was also raised, from 0.5 to 16 mg/g of tissue. The HDL binding to membrane preparations was not affected while the binding of beta VLDL was reduced to about 50% of the controls. These data show, therefore, that liver binding sites for HDL are refractory to regulation by dietary cholesterol.     

Experimental liver fibrosis induced in rats receiving high doses of alcohol and alternating between regular and vitamin-depleted diets

Liver fibrosis was induced in rats by simulating human alcoholic eating and drinking patterns. Alcohol addiction was established by gradually increasing the ethanol concentration in the drinking water; salts were added at the terminal stage. The hepatocytes of rats receiving alcohol concentrations exceeding 50% (v/v) (similar to vodka) exhibited alcoholic hyaline (Mallory bodies). Alcoholic liver fibrosis was induced by alternating between regular and autoclaved (vitamin-depleted) diets, simulating the irregular eating habits of human alcoholics. In the livers of rats receiving 70% (v/v) ethanol (comparable to absinthe) with 25% saline and fed the alternating diets, pericellular fibrosis was induced. No significant difference in calorie intake between control and alcohol rats was detected except when rats underwent drinking bouts (heavy drinking phase). This indicates that neither a high-fat diet nor a choline-depleted diet is necessary to induce the alcoholic fibrosis seen in human alcoholics.     

Cholesterol feeding to rats does not modulate the expression of binding sites for HDL on liver membranes

Summary The binding of HDL, Apo-E-free, was studied in rats fed a cholesterol rich diet for 2, 4 and 7 days. Plasma cholesterol increased up to 16-fold (from 55 to 900 mg/dl); liver cholesterol was also raised, from 0.5 to 16 mg/g of tissue. The HDL binding to membrane preparations was not affected while the binding of VLDL was reduced to about 50% of the controls. These data show, therefore, that liver binding sites for HDL are refractory to regulation by dietary cholesterol.     

Über den Vitamin-B12-Gehalt von Organen verschieden ernährter Ratten

Summary Adult, male rats bred for over 10 generations on a soy meal-corn-diet had vitamin B₁₂ values of liver and kidney about 10 times lower than the controls. If the deficient ration was supplemented with 5µg/kg of B₁₂, these values were still about 1/5 of the controls. 3 weeks on the deficient diet lowered the B₁₂ levels in the livers and kidneys of previously undepleted rats to about 1/2, and a similar diet containing 0.1% of iodized casein lowered these levels to about 1/3 of the normal values but did not lower the B₁₂-concentration of organs of already deficient rats.Rats bred on the deficient diet and receiving for 1 month a supplement of 30µg/kg of vitamin B₁₂ or the stock diet with a similar B₁₂-content, had normal B₁₂-levels in livers and kidneys.     

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) reduces the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase in rat liver microsomes

The effect of dried oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) on cholesterol (C) content in serum, in lipoproteins and in liver, and on the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase in liver microsomes, was studied in male rats (strain Wistar, initial body weight 75 g) fed on low-cholesterol (9 mg/100 g) and high-cholesterol (0.3%) diets. Addition of 5% oyster mushroom to both diets reduced significantly the C-content in serum (by 30%), in very-low- and low-density lipoproteins (in a 11 ratio to the decrease of total serum C) and in liver (by 50%), as well as the activity of HMG-CoA reductase (by more than 30%).     

Essential fatty acids (EFA) deficiency and liver mitochondria

Summary 2 dietary fats, namely, hydrogenated coconut oil and safflower seed oil were fed at 20% levels to weanling male albino rats for a period of 2 months after which the animals were sacrificed and oxidative phosphorylation measured in liver mitochondria. This ratio was more in the unsaturated-fat-fed group of rats compared to the saturated-fed ones for glutamate and malate; in the case of succinate no such change was noticed.     

Effects of chronic caffeine feeding on the activities of oxygen free radical defense enzymes in the growing rat heart and liver

The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between concentration of Zn, Cu and Fe, and the catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities in the heart and liver of newborn rats whose dams were fed a diet supplemented with caffeine. Heart Zn levels of the 22- and 30-day-old rats of the caffeine group showed a decrease, whereas liver Zn levels showed an increase compared to the control. Cu levels in the liver at day 22 in the caffeine group were less than in the control. Cu- and Zn-containing superoxide dismutase activities showed an increase in the hearts of the caffeine group compared to the control. The activity of catalase and glutathion peroxidase showed no difference in the heart and liver between the groups. The present study suggests the possible involvement of superoxide dismutase enzyme in the impairment of heart formation as a result of chronic caffeine intake in the early growing period.     

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid and triton-induced hyperlipidemia in rats.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid (HMG) significantly decreased cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid levels in whole serum, serum beta-lipoproteins and liver of Triton-induced hyperlipidemic rats. Therapeutically 50 mg HMG/kg is equivalent to 200 mg nicotinic acid/kg in lowering all these lipid parameters. HMG may exert its hypolipidemic effect through inhibition of lipoprotein synthesis.     

Effect of acute and chronic ethanol ingestion on the content of reduced glutathione of various tissues of the rat

Summary The effect of acute ethanol ingestion (5 g/kg) by fasted rats, or chronic treatment in fed animals, revealed a significant decrease in the content of reduced glutathione of the liver and kidney. No changes were observed in reduced glutathione levels of the pancreas, intestines, stomach or spleen in the acute model. In this condition, the time course study of the decrease in reduced glutathione levels showed a progressive effect in the liver and a rapid and constant effect in the kidney.These studies were supported by the Grant M 308-792 from the Servicio de Desarrollo Cientifico, Artistico y de Cooperacion Internacional, Universidad de Chile, and by the Research Associateship Program (L.A.V.) from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Effect of intralipid infusion on serum high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,lecithin: Cholesterol acyltransferase,and lipoprotein lipase in tumor-bearing rats

We compared the effects of 0.45% normal saline (NS), 5% Intralipid^® (IL), and 16.7% glucose (Glu) infusions on total serum triglycerides and cholesterol, serum high-(HDL-c) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and activity of serum lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), and serum lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in rats implanted with a fibrosarcoma. In tumor-bearing rats given NS, a two-fold increase in total serum cholesterol, a four-fold increase in LDL-c, and a five-fold decrease in the HDL-c/LDL-c ratio were observed compared to tumor-free rats. In tumor-bearing rats administered IL, a two-fold increase in total serum triglyceride and cholesterol, a three-fold increase in HDL-c and HDL-c/LDL-c ratio, and a two-fold increase in LPL activity were observed compared to tumor-bearing rats administered NS. In tumor-bearing rats administered Glu, a two-fold decrease in total serum cholesterol, a two-fold decrease in HDL-c, and a three-fold decrease in LDL-c were observed compared to tumor-bearing rats administered NS. Tumor weights and LCAT activity did not differ significantly between treatment groups. Previous results have demonstrated that lipophilic compounds that interact with plasma lipoproteins have altered pharmacological effects when administered with IL. Therefore, this study suggests that IL infusions alter the HDL-c/LDL-c ratio and could affect the pharmacological behavior of anticancer compounds that predominantly distribute into the LDL fraction upon entrance into the bloodstream.     

Dietary vitamin E does not protect from endotoxin-induced hepatic microvascular dysfunction

Starting from the concept that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-associated hepatotoxicity involves the action of reactive oxygen species, the present study was conducted to test whether vitamin E, a lipophilic antioxidant, prevents LPS-induced hepatic microvascular dysfunction and liver injury. Fifty-two rats were divided into three groups and fed diets containing 0 (n=16), 75 (n=18) or 8000 mg (n=18) α-tocopherol acetate/kg food for four weeks. At 1 h and 6 h after intravenous LPS-exposure (10 mg/kg E. coli LPS) hepatic microvascular response and liver injury were assessed by the analysis of Kupffer cell phagocytic activity, leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction and nutritive sinusoidal perfusion (intravital fluorescence epi- illumination technique) as well as bile flow, serum liver enzyme activities and tissue histomorphology. In animals fed with 75 mg vitamin E/kg (standard diet), LPS caused hepatic Kupffer cell activation (increased phagocytic activity) and hepatic microvascular leukocyte activation, with stasis in sinusoids and adherence in postsinusoidal venules (1 h) followed by leukocytic infiltration into tissue (6 h) and progredient sinusoidal perfusion failure (6 h). Hepatic microvascular injury was accompanied by reduced bile flow and enhanced liver enzyme release. Vitamin E-enriched diet (8000 mg/kg) and even vitamin E-deficient diet did not significantly affect LPS-induced hepatic microvascular cell activation and perfusion failure. Thus, we conclude, that vitamin E is not effective to protect from endotoxin-induced hepatic microvascular dysfunction. Received 7 November 1996; received after revision 30 December 1996; accepted 20 January 1997     

Secretion of high density lipoprotein by the isolated perfused alcoholic rat liver

Summary Chronic alcohol feeding of a low fat diet for 5 weeks led to a slightly raised though statistically non-significant high density liproprotein cholesterol/apoB containing lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in both the fasting rat serum as well as the secretory products of the isolated perfused liver.Acknowledgments. Human RBC was kindly supplied by the Canadian Red Cross. This work was supported by MRC, DISCUS and the Department of National Health and Welfare, Canada. H. L. is the holder of an MRC studentship.     

Is the basal activity of rat stomach histidine decarboxylase affected by antrectomy?

The serum gastrin concentration and the gastric histidine decarboxylase activity are high in freely fed, unoperated rats but low in antrectomized rats. Following food deprivation the serum gastrin level and the enzyme activity are reduced simultaneously in the unoperated rats. After fasting for 36-48 h - but not before - the enzyme activity drops to the same low levels as in antrectomized rats.