Evaluation of bean seeds and pomegranate fruit fractions as hypocholesterolemic and hpolipidemic agents in albino rats [electronic resource].

Includes reference.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the influences of soaked white bean seeds and pomegranate fractions (seeds and peels) on lipid profiles of rats suffering from hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia. The investigation was based on that legume and fruits as good hypolipidemic and hypocholesterolemic agents which contain protein and appreciable amount of phenols that are known to possess lipotropic and antioxidant characters. The lipotropic and antioxidant power of protein and phenols are supposed to protect blood lipid fractions from oxidation and precipitations on the walls of the blood vessel thus alleviated atherosclerosis. The study was done on soaked bean seeds, pomegranate seeds and dried pomegranate peels and their mixture to evaluate them as hypolipidemic agents by rats feeding to clarify whether the effect is attributed to whole dried seeds and peels. The three present hypolipidemic agents individually and their mixture (1:1:1) amounted 10% of the basal diet. Chemical composition of dried soaked bean and pomegranate (seeds and peels) was determined on dry matter which amounted good values of protein, lipids, crude fiber and phenols. Also, HPLC analysis of pomegranate seeds and peels for the phenols content showed the present of about 16 compounds varying in amount between them. It was noticed that compounds such as catechin and phenol are dominating and daidzin, genistein, cinnamic acid, kaempferol, eugenol, chrysin and galangin were detected in the both pomegranate fractions. The present study showed that the treatments with bean seeds, pomegranate (seeds or peels) and specially their mixture can effect as hypolipidemic and hypocholesterolemic agents and improved the fractions of liver and kidneys as well as lipid peroxidation and the activity of antioxidative enzymes (SOD and catalase) but these treatments had insignificant effects on blood glucose of the hyperlipidemic and hypolipidemic rats. The obtained results showed a good hypolipidemic powerful for soaked bean seeds and pomegranate (seeds and peels) as well as their mixture. Bean seeds diet produced a general improvement in the clinical status of blood lipid profile (total lipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c and VLDL-c), liver function (GOT, GPT and bilirubin), kidneys function (uric acid, urea and creatinine) and blood lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes (SOD and catalase) by which hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia were reduced. The mixture diet had the best influence concerning biological studies than the other treatments which used bean seeds and pomegranate (seeds or peels) alone. From the present results the anticholesterolemic and antilipidemic power of the different diet treatments can be arranged in the following from increasing to decreasing order: Mixture ≥ Soaked bean seeds > Pomegranate seeds ≥ Pomegranate peels Future studies are required to evaluate the interaction between lipotropic factor (protein) and antioxidative agent (phenols) which produced such synergetic effects.

Summary in Arabic.

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