Effectiveness of Chitosan as a Dietary Supplement in Lowering Cholesterol in Murine Models: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This study presents a meta-analysis of studies that investigate the effectiveness of chitosan administration on lifestyle-related disease in murine models. A total of 34 published studies were used to evaluate the effect of chitosan supplementation. The effect sizes for various items after chitosan administration were evaluated using the standardized mean difference. Using Cochran’s Q test, the heterogeneity of effect sizes was assessed, after which a meta-ANOVA and -regression test was conducted to explain the heterogeneity of effect sizes using the mixed-effect model. Publication bias was performed using Egger’s linear regression test. Among the items evaluated, blood triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol showed the highest heterogeneity, respectively. Other than blood HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride in feces, most items evaluated showed a negative effect size with high significance in the fixed- and random-effect model (p < 0.0001). In the meta-ANOVA and -regression test, administering chitosan and resistant starch was revealed to be most effective in lowering body weight. In addition, chitosan supplementation proved to be an effective solution for serum TNF-α inhibition. In conclusion, chitosan has been shown to be somewhat useful in improving symptoms of lifestyle-related disease. Although there are some limitations in the results of this meta-analysis due to the limited number of animal experiments conducted, chitosan administration nevertheless shows promise in reducing the risk of cholesterol related metabolic disorder.

On the mechanism of the cholesterol lowering ability of soluble dietary fibers: Interaction of some bile salts with pectin, alginate, and chitosan studied by isothermal titration calorimetry

“…Chitosan, insoluble at pH 6.3, precipitates in the intestine leading to the inhibition of their absorption and recycling from the intestine to the liver. Also recently, a lot of studies report that chitosan treatment results in significantly lower serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations (52)(53)(54)(55). Due to the polycationic nature of the chitosan we expect a strong electrostatic interaction between bile salts and fiber.…”

Bone Quantification Around Chitosan-Coated Titanium Dental Implants: A Preliminary Study by Micro-CT Analysis in Jaw of a Canine Model

“…In recent years, it has been proposed as a promising biomaterial in certain dental and tissue engineering applications, in addition to being used as a cholesterol-lowering agent, hemostatic, drug carrier etc. ( Ylitalo et al, 2002 ; Rojo and Deb, 2015 ; Ahsan et al, 2018 ; Hu et al, 2018 ; Ahn et al, 2021 ; Yu et al, 2022 ).…”

Mechanical Amorphization of Chitosan with Different Molecular Weights

“…Chitosan-based materials are used for food packaging [ 4 , 5 ], encapsulation of food supplements [ 6 , 7 ], inhibition of formation of acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural during thermal food processing [ 8 ], drug delivery [ 9 ], as a component of hemostatic agents and wound dressings [ 10 , 11 ], and as a material for suture-free surgery [ 12 , 13 ]. When used directly as a component of functional foods and therapeutic and preventive nutrition, chitosan can bind fatty and bile acids, phospholipids, and gliadin due to its ability to form micelles, thus making it possible to treat celiac disease, reduce cholesterol levels, and treat arthrosis and osteoporosis [ 8 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”