bicyclol and Hypercholesterolemia

Recently, it has been found that Fructus Schisandra Chinensis (FSC), a Chinese herbal medicine, and its related compounds have a profound impact on lipid metabolism process. FSC can be divided into two parts, i.e., seed and pulp. The current study aimed to examine the effect of aqueous extracts of FSC pulp (AqFSC-P) on serum/hepatic lipid and glucose levels in mice fed with a normal diet (ND) or a high cholesterol/bile salt diet (HCBD).. The AqFSC-P used in the present study was fractionated into supernatant (SAqFSC-P) and precipitate (PAqFSC-P) separated by centrifugation. Male ICR mice were fed with ND or HCBD, without or with supplementation of 1%, 3%, or 9% (w/w) SAqFSC-P or PAqFSC-P for 10 days. Biomarkers were determined according to the manufacturer's instruction.. Supplementation with SAqFSC-P or PAqFSC-P significantly reduced serum and hepatic triglyceride levels (approximately 40%) in ND- and/or HCBD-fed mice. The supplementation with SAqFSC-P or PAqFSC-P reduced hepatic total cholesterol levels (by 27-46%) in HCBD-fed mice. Supplementation with SAqFSC-P or PAqFSC-P markedly lowered hepatic glucose levels (by 13-30%) in ND- and HCBD-fed mice. SAqFSC-P decreased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, but PAqFSC-P increased hepatic protein contents in ND-fed mice. Bicylol, as a positive control, reduced ALT activity. In addition, mice supplemented with FSC-P or bicylol showed a smaller body weight gain and adipose tissue mass as compared to the respective un-supplemented ND- or HCBD-fed mice.. The results indicate that SAqFSC-P and PAqFSC-P produce hepatic lipid- and glucose-lowering as well as serum TG-lowering effects in hypercholesterolemic mice. FSC pulp may provide a safe alternative for the management of fatty liver and/or lipid disorders in humans.

Topics: Adiposity; Animals; Anticholesteremic Agents; Bile Acids and Salts; Biphenyl Compounds; Blood Glucose; Cholesterol, Dietary; Cholesterol, HDL; Cholesterol, LDL; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Supplements; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Hypercholesterolemia; Liver; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Schisandra; Triglycerides; Weight Gain

Bicyclol is used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in China. In this study, the effects of bicyclol (100 or 300 mg kg(-1), p.o.) on serum and liver lipid contents were investigated in both normal and experimentally induced hypercholesterolaemic mice. Hypercholesterolaemia was induced by either oral administration of cholesterol/bile salt or feeding a diet containing lard/cholesterol. Daily administration of bicyclol for 7 days dose-dependently increased the serum triglyceride level (29-80%) but slightly decreased the hepatic total cholesterol level (12-17%) in normal mice. Co-administration of bicyclol with cholesterol/bile salt decreased the hepatic triglyceride and total cholesterol levels (7-15% and 25-31%, respectively), when compared with the drug-untreated and cholesterol/bile salt-treated group. Bicyclol treatment for 7 days decreased hepatic triglyceride (5-76%) and total cholesterol (5-48%) levels in mice fed with high-fat/cholesterol diet. In contrast, bicyclol treatment increased the serum triglyceride level (18-77%) in mice treated with cholesterol/bile salt or fed with high-fat/cholesterol diet. Bicyclol treatment also caused an increase in hepatic index of normal and hypercholesterolaemic mice (3-32%). The results indicate that bicyclol treatment can invariably decrease hepatic lipid levels and increase serum triglyceride levels in normal and hypercholesterolaemic mice.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Bile Acids and Salts; Biphenyl Compounds; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, Dietary; Cyclooctanes; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fenofibrate; Hypercholesterolemia; Hypolipidemic Agents; Intubation, Gastrointestinal; Lipids; Liver; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Tablets; Time Factors; Triglycerides