The Effect of Rice with Aspergillus terreus on Lipid Metabolism in Rats

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of rice contatining Aspergillus terreus (Hwangkuk, HK) on lipid metabolism in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) for 8 weeks. SD rats were divided into five groups: Normal, [Negative Control (HCD), Positive Control (lovastatin)], [HK 0.5 g/kg and HK 2 g/kg]. Hepatic total lipids significantly decreased following treatment with rice contatining Asp. terreus. Furthermore, this treatment led to higher expression levels of HMG-CoA reductase, LDL receptor and SREBP2 mRNA in the liver compared with the HCD group. In addition, histopathologic evaluation showed that feeding rats with rice containing Asp. terreus suppressed hepatic steatosis. These results suggest that rice containing Asp. terreus may be able to regulate of cholesterol synthesis and prevent hyperlipidemia.

High-Fat Diet Changes Fungal Microbiomes and Interkingdom Relationships in the Murine Gut

“…In our study, mice fed a high-fat diet had increased relative abundance of the fungus Aspergillus terreus , a fungus that produces the cholesterol-reducing agent lovastatin ( 46 ), and this correlated with increases in bacterial genes involved in carbon energy metabolism (methanogenesis, acetyl-CoA synthesis, and reductive acetyl-CoA pathways), implying a compensatory response to exposure to high-fat diet. In a recent study, rats receiving A. terreus as a dietary supplement along with a high-fat diet had reduced hepatic steatosis compared to those fed a high-fat diet alone ( 47 ), further supporting a role for A. terreus in modulation of metabolism. There is also evidence for fungal-bacterial relationships in other scenarios that affect health, for example, administration of S. boulardii to treat antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile ( 48 ) as well as intestinal inflammation caused by the bacterium Citrobacter rodentium ( 49 ).…”

Lipidomic profiling analysis of human plasma from subjects with hypercholesterolemia to evaluate the intake of yellow yeast rice fermented by Aspergillus terreus DSMK01

“…8,[14][15][16] A study was conducted to understand the cholesterol-lowering effect of YYR in rats mainly focusing on changes in biochemical parameters such as cholesterol and triglycerides. 17 The results of this study triggered us to develop a protocol for a clinical trial in hypercholesterolemic individuals using comprehensive tools. 18 In this study, we report the results using the global lipidomic profiling of plasma determined by ultraperformance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight (UPLC/Q-TOF) MS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to investigate the effects of YYR intake using lipidomic profiling and to analyze the association with the alterations in lipid metabolism induced by YYR intake.…”