Full Length Research Paper

Effects of diet-induced hypercholesterolemia on the lipid profile and some enzyme activities in female Wistar rats

Gloria A. Otunola¹*, Oyelola B. Oloyede², Adenike T. Oladiji² and Anthony A. Afolayan³

¹Department of Home Economics and Food Science, University of Ilorin, IIorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

²Department of Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, IIorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

³Department of Botany, Phytomedicine Research Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: adeglo2004@yahoo.com. Tel: (+27)0781290356, (+234)08035605718.

Accepted 11 May, 2010.

   Abstract

The effects of a high dietary soybean oil and cholesterol on serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and triglycerides were investigated. Total protein, albumin, glucose, gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine amino transferase (ALT) activities were also investigated in weanling female Wistar rats for eight weeks. Two groups of weanling Wistar rats were use in this study. The first group of rats were fed with a control diet made up of the normal rat chow (C), while the second group was given a hypercholesterolemic diet (HPC) enriched with 25% soybean oil and 1% cholesterol for eight weeks. The dietary intake of the HPC diet significantly increased the level of total cholesterol, LDL-C and triglycerides in the serum of animals fed the (HPC) diet. GGT, AST and ALT activities were also markedly elevated in rats fed with the HPC diet. While total protein and glucose level of the animals fed with the HPC diet was remarkably reduced, there was no significant difference in the HDL-C and albumin contents of both groups. This study established that hypercholesterolemia is induced by high soybean oil/cholesterol diet, despite the fact that soybean oil has high content of poly unsaturated fatty acids. Also, the HPC diet led to weight loss in the rats and injury to both heart and liver of the rats.

Key words: Diet-induced, injury, lipid profile, enzyme activities, hypercholesterolemia, soybean oil, cholesterol.