LIPID-LOWERING EFFECTS OF ARONIA MELANOCARPA FRUIT JUICE IN RATS FED CHOLESTEROL-CONTAINING DIETS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice (AMFJ) is very rich in phenolic antioxidants, mainly flavonoids from the subclass anthocyanins. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of AMFJ on body and liver mass, plasma lipids and lipoprotein profiles, and the histopathology of liver and aorta in rats fed with cholesterol diets. AMFJ was applied orally for 30 days at doses of 5, 10 and 20 mL/kg. In rats fed the cholesterol-containing diets, AMFJ significantly hindered an increase in plasma lipids (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides) because of cholesterol feeding. Body weight gains, liver weights, and liver and aorta histopathology were not influenced either by high-cholesterol diets or by AMFJ treatment. In conclusion, AMFJ showed lipid-lowering effects in rats with experimentally induced hyperlipidemia, and could be valuable in reducing lipidemia as a factor of cardiovascular risk. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Hyperlipidemia characterized by an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Plant foods with high contents of phenolic phytochemicals are reported to be inversely correlated with plasma total cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol. Aronia melanocarpa fruits are remarkably rich in phenolic substances. They are used for human consumption as juice, syrup, jam and wine. Our research demonstrated that A. melanocarpa fruit juice hindered the dietary-induced elevation of plasma TC, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in rats. In view of the results from our experiment, we can suppose that the juice may be further tested for reducing hyperlipidemia in humans and possibly approved a valuable dietary supplement.