Abstract
Gynura bicolor (Roxb. and Willd.) DC (G. bicolor) is a dietary vegetable in the Far East. The aims of the present study were to investigate the antioxidant effects of the G. bicolor water extract (GBWE) and its ability to regulate the blood lipid and lipoprotein profiles. In this study, the pigment composition and antioxidant ability of the GBWE were analyzed. Syrian hamsters were fed a high‐fat diet (HFD) and the GBWE for 12 weeks, and the blood lipid levels, lipoprotein profiles, and cholesterol metabolism‐related enzyme levels were then examined. The results showed that the GBWE exhibited excellent 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging activity and ferrous‐ion‐chelating ability. The hepatic glutathione levels in the hamsters were increased after the administration of low (0.4 g/kg BW, GBWE‐L) or high (0.8 g/kg BW, GBWE‐H) levels of the GBWE. The GBWE‐H‐treated hamsters exhibited significantly decreased serum levels of total cholesterols (TC) and low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (LDL‐C) and significantly increased levels of lectin‐cholesterol acetyltransferase (LCAT). These results showed that GBWE‐H can reduce the total cholesterol and LDL‐C levels in HFD‐fed hamsters, and this reduction might be involved in the regulation of LCAT expression.
Highlights
Gynura bicolor (Roxb. and Willd.) DC (G. bicolor) is a vegetable and traditional herb in Taiwan and other eastern Asian countries
G. bicolor was purchased from e Agricultural Production and Marketing Group of Yuanshan Village. e same plant was identified by Dr Yen Hsueh Tseng, and a plant is being grown at the Department of Forestry, National Chung Hsieh University (NCHU)
HPLC chromatograms of plant pigment standards and the G. bicolor water extract (GBWE) are shown in Supplementary Figure 1
Summary
Gynura bicolor (Roxb. and Willd.) DC (G. bicolor) is a vegetable and traditional herb in Taiwan and other eastern Asian countries. E results obtained in the present study highlight the potentially beneficial antioxidant effects of G. bicolor on the blood lipid and lipoprotein levels and cholesterol-related lipoprotein metabolism. Hamsters that were administered GBWE-L, GBWE-H, or probucol for 12 weeks exhibited significantly increased hepatic GSH levels (49.4 ± 3.2, 56.7 ± 2.8, and 48.2 ± 2.4 nmol/mg protein, respectively) compared with those in the HFD group (43.6 ± 1.6 nmol/mg protein) (p < 0.05; Table 2).
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