Hypolipidaemic Activity of a Polysaccharide Extract fromFucus vesiculosus L.

Abstract

The effects of a polysaccharide extract from the seaweed Fucus vesiculosus on serum lipid levels were evaluated in normal and hyperlipaemic rats. In screening tests of immediate (4 h) effects in normal rats, the highest dose assayed (10 mg/kg) significantly lowered total cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) levels, and significantly increased the antiatherogenic index (AAI, i.e. 100×HDL-C/[totalC-HDL-C]). In screening tests of short-term (24 h) effects in Triton-induced-hyperlipaemic (TIH) rats, the extract caused marked dose-dependent reductions in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Tests in TIH rats suggested that the observed hypolipaemic activity was due to inhibition of cholesterol synthesis. Subsequent tests of longer-term (12 day) effects in diet-induced-hyperlipaemic rats provided support for this hypothesis: the extract at 10 mg/kg did not have significant effects on total cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol, but caused moderate increases in high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) level and AAI.