Hypocholesterolemic effects of chitosan in cholesterol-fed rats

Abstract

Hypocholesterolemic activity of some brown algae and chitosan, that had been found to be capable of binding bile acid in vitro, was examined in rats. When the diets contained cholesterol and cholate in combination, feeding chitosan, compared with cellulose, at the 5% level for 20 days resulted in a reduction of liver, but not plasma, cholesterol. Whilst in rats fed the diets containing cholesterol alone, chitosan caused a marked decrease in plasma and liver cholesterol, the magnitude of the reduction being comparable with that observed on cholestyramine. This aminosugar showed no demonstrable effects on food intake and growth of rats, but increased fecal excretion of neutral sterols accompanied with a conspicuous depression of microbial transformation of cholesterol to coprostanol. Three brown algae examined herein, Sargassum ringgoldianum, Hijikia fusiforme and Sargassum thunbergii, showed no plasma cholesterol lowering effects. So far as the present data indicate, chitosan appears to be an effective hypocholesterolemic agent.