The Effect of lecithin extracted from Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicas) on Blood Passage and Serum Lipid Profile in Rats

Abstract

To investigate the effects of lecithin extracted from Japanese anchovy on blood passage and serum lipid profile were assessed in vivo. Sprague Dawley strain rats were divided into five groups of ten rats each; normal control, negative control and three dosages of lecithin treated groups (80, 200 and 500 mg/kg). Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL‐cholesterol, atherogenic index (AI) and cardiac risk factor (CRF) contents were significantly reduced in the lecithin treated groups compared to the negative control group (P<0.05). The level of serum serotonin in the lecithin treated groups was significantly reduced compared to the negative control group (P<0.05). The platelet aggregation was inhibited in lecithin treated groups. There was no significant difference compared to the negative control group. Blood passage time of the lecithin treated group showed a tendency to decrease compared to the negative control group, which was studied with micro channel array flow analyzer (MC‐FAN). Also, in the histopathological assay of aorta wall lumen, the cholesterol aggregation level in the lecithin treated groups was reduced compared to the negative control group. All these results suggest that Japanese anchovy‐extracted lecithin might have anti‐atherogenic effect via lipid profile improvement.