Effects of the flaxseed lignans secoisolariciresinol diglucoside and its aglycone on serum and hepatic lipids in hyperlipidaemic rats

Abstract

The present study involved a comparative analysis of the effects of purified flaxseed lignans, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) and its aglycone metabolite (SECO), in hyperlipidaemic rats. For hypercholesterolaemia, female Wistars (six rats per group) were fed a standard or 1 % cholesterol diet and orally administered 0, 3 or 6 mg SDG/kg or 0, 1·6 or 3·2 mg SECO/kg body weight once daily for 4 weeks. Hypertriacylglycerolaemia was induced in male Sprague -Dawley rats (ten rats per group) by supplementing tap water with 10 % fructose. These rats were orally administered 0, 3 or 6 mg SDG/kg body weight once daily for 2 weeks. Fasting blood samples (12 h) were collected predose and at the end of the dosing period for serum lipid analyses. Rats were killed and livers rapidly excised and sectioned for lipid, mRNA and histological analyses. Chronic administration of equimolar amounts of SDG and SECO caused similar dose-dependent reductions in rate of body-weight gain and in serum total and LDL-cholesterol levels and hepatic lipid accumulation. SDG and SECO failed to alter hepatic gene expression of commonly reported regulatory targets of lipid homeostasis. SDG had no effect on serum TAG, NEFA, phospholipids and rate of weight gain in 10 % fructose-supplemented rats. In conclusion, our data suggest that the lignan component of flaxseed contributes to the hypocholesterolaemic effects of flaxseed consumption observed in humans. Future studies plan to identify the biochemical mechanism(s) through which flaxseed lignans exert their beneficial effects and the lignan form(s) responsible. Purified flaxseed lignans: Hyperlipidaemia: RatsHypercholesterolaemia and hypertriacylglycerolaemia are independent risk factors of CVD and often occur in association with other CVD risk factors such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and elevated blood pressure (1)

A Comparison Between Lignans from Creosote Bush and Flaxseed and Their Potential to Inhibit Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Activity

“…Furthermore, we hypothesized that lignan from creosote bush inhibits P450 enzyme activity via mechanism-based and/or reversible inhibition mechanisms and that glutathione (GSH) can attenuate the inhibition. The use of rat also supports current investigations in our laboratories concerning lignan efficacy and pharmacokinetics in rat models of hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia (Felmlee et al, 2009). Such investigations will make an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the safety of natural products containing lignan as the principal bioactive component.…”

A Chronic Oral Toxicity Study of Marine Collagen Peptides Preparation from Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) Skin Using Sprague-Dawley Rat

“…It is worth mentioning that incidences of hepatocyte vacuolation in the MCP-treated groups were decreased as compared with the control group. Microscopically, “fatty change” or hepatocyte steatosis is morphologically compatible with hepatocyte cytoplasmic vacuolation, the cell damage caused by lipotoxicity of excessive neutral lipid accumulation in hepatocyte [20,21]. Wergedahl et al found that the rats fed with the hydrolysate of salmon protein had lower lipid content in the liver than those fed with casein, as the former most likely had a higher secretion of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins from liver [19].…”

Transgenic flax overexpressing polyphenols as a potential anti-inflammatory dietary agent

“…The number of cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles was lower, and only individual cells suffered from necrosis. Wistar rats administered a cholesterol diet that was SDGenriched along with secoisolariciresinol exhibited lower hepatic lipidosis (Felmlee et al, 2009). Quercetin reduced liver lipids …”