Abstract
Schisandrae Fructus (SF), which possesses five tastes: sweet (fruit skin), sour (pulp), bitter/pungent (seed core), and saltiness (all parts), can produce a wide spectrum of biological activities in the body. Here, we investigated the effects of the ethanolic extract of SF pulp, seed, or their combination (namely, EtSF-P, EtSF-S, or EtSF-P/S, resp.; collectively called EtSF) on the metabolism of lipids and glucose in normal diet- (ND-) and hypercholesterolemic diet- (HCLD-) fed mice. Supplementation with EtSF significantly reduced hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol levels by 18–47% in both ND- and HCLD-fed mice. EtSF supplementation reduced serum triglyceride levels (approximately 29%), whereas EtSF-P and EtSF-S/P elevated serum cholesterol (up to 26 and 44%, resp.) in HCLD-fed mice. Treatment with EtSF decreased hepatic glucose levels (by 9–44%) in both ND- and HCLD-fed mice. Supplementation with EtSF-S or EtSF-S/P (at 1 and 3%) increased biliary or fecal TC contents in HCLD-fed mice. However, supplementation with EtSF-S/P at 9% reduced biliary TC levels in HCLD-fed mice. EtSF-P or EtSF-S/P supplementation reduced serum alanine aminotransferase activity in HCLD-fed mice. The findings suggested that supplementation with EtSF lowered lipid and glucose accumulation in the liver and increased fecal cholesterol contents in mice. Dietary supplementation with EtSF-P or EtSF-S/P attenuated liver damage in HCLD-fed mice.
Highlights
Hyperlipidemia (HLD) refers to increased levels of lipids in the blood, including cholesterol and triglyceride
It is well known that HLD, the leading cause of death and disability over the world, significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), metabolic syndrome, stroke, or cerebrovascular accident [1,2,3]
Our previous studies have shown that Schisandrae Fructus (SF) extracts [23, 24], Sch B [25], bicycol [26], and bifendate [27] can reduce hepatic triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels in hypercholesterolemic (HCL) mice
Summary
Hyperlipidemia (HLD) refers to increased levels of lipids in the blood, including cholesterol and triglyceride. Since the incidences of HLD and NAFLD are increasing rapidly, it is of therapeutic interest to search for effective agents that can lower lipid contents in the blood and liver [9]. Our previous studies have shown that SF extracts [23, 24], Sch B [25], bicycol [26], and bifendate [27] can reduce hepatic triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels in hypercholesterolemic (HCL) mice. We endeavored to compare the effects of ethanol extracts of SF pulp, seed, or a mixture of pulp/seed on serum and hepatic lipid/glucose (GLU) levels, as well as liver function in mice under the normal and HCL conditions. Fenofibrate (FF) was used as a positive control for comparison
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