Excessive intake of trans fats is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Previously, we showed that green tea extract lowers intestinal absorption of cholesterol and elaidic acid in rats. This study was conducted to investigate a possible role for sorghum extract on lymphatic absorption of trans fat and cholesterol in rats. Adult male rats with lymph cannulae were infused at a rate of 3.0 mL/h for 8 h via a duodenal catheter with a lipid emulsion containing 146.4 μmol of trielaidin, 36.8 μmol of trilinoelaidin, 452.0 μmol of triolein, 1.0 μCi cholesterol labeled with 14 C ( 14 C-cholesterol), 20.7 μmol of cholesterol, and 396.0 μmol of Na-taurocholate without or with 100.0 mg of sorghum extract in phosphate-buffered saline buffer (pH 6.4). Lymph was collected hourly for 8 h. No significant difference was noted in lymph flow. However, the lymphatic absorption of elaidic acid and linoelaidic acid for 8 h was significantly lower in rats infused with sorghum extract than in those infused with no sorghum extract. Further, lymphatic absorption of 14 C-cholesterol was reduced by sorghum extract, which was observed previously. These data indicate that sorghum extract has an inhibitory effect on the intestinal absorption of trans fat and cholesterol. The mechanism(s) by which sorghum extract lowers intestinal absorption of trans fat warrants further study.

Persimmons are shown to contain high levels of phenolics. The present study was designed to investigate if a sweet persimmon wine (SPW) would affect the development of alcoholic fatty liver in rats. Initially, male Sprague-Dawley rats were housed singly in stainless steel wire-bottomed cages in a room of controlled temperature and lighting. The rats had free access to a nutritionally adequate AIN-93G diet and deionized water. After the acclimatization period, rats were weight-matched and assigned to the following three groups: two groups were fed 6.7% ethanol or the caloric equivalent of maltose-dextrin in a Lieber-DeCarli diet and the other group was fed the isocaloric Lieber-DeCarli diet containing SPW at the same ethanol level. All three groups were fed their respective diets for 6 weeks. Serum transaminase, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were measured. Liver lipids and histology were assessed at 6 weeks. The total phenolic content and the antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of SPW were determined. SPW significantly increased antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities. As markers of liver injury, serum alanine and aspartate transminases were markedly lowered by SPW at 6 weeks. SPW significantly reduced the serum levels of serum cholesterol and triglyceride compared to ethanol treatment. SPW delayed the development of an alcoholic fatty liver by reversing fat accumulation in the liver, as evidenced in histological observations. Taken together, SPW seems to protect the liver from becoming fatty by alleviating fatty liver symptoms and lowering hepatic and serum lipid levels. Such a protective effect of SPW appears to be in part due to its phenolics.

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