Effect of Heat-Treated Garlic (Allium sativum L.) on Growth Parameters, Plasma Lipid Profile and Histological Changes in the Ileum of Atherogenic Rats

Abstract

Dietary supplementation with raw garlic has a preventive and healing effect in cardiovascular diseases, but it could also damage the intestinal mucosa, resulting in impairment of nutrient absorption. Garlic processing, including heat treatment, changes the content and biological activity of garlic, so it is crucial to find food-processing methods that will preserve the health-promoting properties of garlic while minimizing its negative impact on the digestive system. Therefore, in this study, the effect of garlic (Allium sativum L.) on growth parameters, plasma lipid profile, and morphological parameters in the ileum of Wistar rats subjected to various types of heat treatment (90 s blanching garlic, 10 min boiling in water, 10 min pan frying without fat, microwave heating fresh garlic, 90 s blanching and microwave heating garlic, 10 min boiling in water and microwave heating garlic, and 10 min pan frying without fat and microwave heating garlic) was determined in an atherogenic diet (containing 1% addition of cholesterol). In the conducted research, it was found that the diet supplemented with heat-treated garlic used in the atherogenic diet improved the consumption and growth parameters of rats, depending on the type and time of its use. The highest consumption was recorded in atherogenic groups supplemented with garlic subjected to a longer (10 min) heat treatment and was then heated in a microwave oven. Garlic subjected to the shortest heat treatment proved to be most effective, and a significant improvement in the lipid profiles of rats’ plasma with atherogenic was observed. Extending the time of heat treatment of garlic and, additionally, its microwaving significantly weakened the action of garlic in the body, but still retained its hypolipidemic effect. The greatest influence on the structural changes in the mucosa of the rats’ iliac intestine, manifested by degeneration of the mucosa, shortening the length of the intestinal villi, damage to the brush border, and thus impairment of the intestinal absorption, was exerted by supplementing the atherogenic diet with garlic subjected to short-term heat treatment. Among the processes used, blanching was the least favorable, and the long-lasting thermal processes (cooking, frying for 10 min) had a positive effect on the mucosa of the rats’ intestines. The results obtained in this study confirm that the selection of an appropriate method of thermal processing of garlic may allow for the maintenance of preventive and therapeutic efficacy of garlic in cardiovascular diseases, while ensuring the safety of its long-term use in the context of degenerative changes in the gastrointestinal tract.

Natural Products in Cardiovascular Diseases: The Potential of Plants from the Allioideae Subfamily (Ex-Alliaceae Family) and Their Sulphur-Containing Compounds

“…Additionally, with the loss of alliinase activity, the vasorelaxant properties of Allium sativum, were abolished in aortic rings pre-contracted with phenylephrine [ 95 ]. Similar dependency on alliinase activity was reported for the hypolipidemic activity of A. sativum where long heating times or microwave heating compromised this effect [ 135 ].…”

Correlational relationships of intestinal wall parameters after barotraum

“…Many authors [11,20], as well as our study, testify to the heterogeneity not only of the intestinal wall, but also of some areas within one section of the small intestine. During histological, cytometric and ultramicroscopic studies, discrepancies in indicators were established, which indicates a deeper damage to the wall of the small intestine at the cellular level.…”

Investigation of the effects of Terminalia chebula seed hydroalcoholic extract on Paraoxonase1 enzyme activity in rats

“…It has also been shown that the flavonoid and antioxidant compounds in plants have a significant effect on preventing the occurrence of hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia. These compounds play an active role by influencing the expression of factors involved in this process or increasing or decreasing the activity of enzymes that affect the metabolism of these compounds (22).…”