Abstract
The antihypercholesterolemic activity of β-sitosterol and β-sitostanol was compared in male rabbits given a cholesterol-supplemented diet. β-Sitosterol and β-sitostanol were fed to these rabbits at the 0.5 % level with cholesterol (0.5% and 0.2% in experiments I and II, respectively). The serum cholesterol level tended to be lower in rabbits fed β-sitostanol than in the animals fed β-sitosterol even in experiment I. The β-sitostanol exhibited a significantly greater hypocholesterolemic activity in experiment II, LDL-cholesterol being decreased markedly. The liver cholesterol decreased in both groups of rabbits to a similar extent. β-Sitostanol prevented more effectively the formation of dietary cholesterol-induced atheroma in the abdominal aorta than β-sitosterol. It is most likely, together with the data reported previously on rats, that the hypocholesterolemic activity of β-sitostanol results from the significantly greater inhibitory effect on the intestinal absorption of cholesterol than that of β-sitosterol.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 243-251 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1981 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- hypocholesterolemic agent
- serum lipoproteins
- β-sitostanol
- β-sitosterol
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Nutrition and Dietetics