DefinePK

Abstract

Rhodobacter capsulatus (RC) is a photosynthetic purple bacterium that able to reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations in rats and pigs as well as egg-yolk of laying hens and Japanese quails and in broiler meat. The study was designed to investigate the hypochlesterolemic effects of Rhodobacter capsulatus on rats as experimental animal. Total 63 Wistar-Imamichi male rats were randomly divided into three dietary groups. The rats were fed a basal diet (BD), high cholesterol (1%) diet (HCD) and HCD plus 0.02% RC (HCD+RC) diet for 4 weeks. Enzymatic analysis of serum, liver tissues and faces samples, bile acid determination, histological study of hepatic lipid accumulation, and incorporation of 14C-glucose into lipid fractions were performed. The concentration of LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides in serum were significantly (P<0.05) reduced in the rats fed HCD+RC than HCD diet. However, there was no significant (P>0.05) difference in case of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and glucose concentrations in serum of the rats fed experimental diets. Compared to the other experimental diets, the HCD+RC potentially counteracted the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver cells observed after staining by Oil Red O and Sudan III stains. Total cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in liver and increased in faces of the rats fed HCD+RC than that of HCD diet. The concentrations of bile acids were increased in both liver and faces of the rats fed HCD+RC diet. Incorporation of 14C-glucose among into lipid fractions of liver tissues, triglycerides were increased (P<0.05) where cholesterol, cholesterol esters, fatty acids and phospholipid were slightly (P>0.05) decreased in the rats fed HCD+RC diet. Therefore, the study concludes that the dietary RC has the overall potential hypocholesterolemic effects on rats.