<i>In Vivo</i> Hypolipidemic Effects and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Pinus morrisonicola</i> Hay Extracts by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction

Abstract

Pinus morrisonicola hay (PM) is a pine tree unique to Taiwan, whose needles are used as traditional medicine and as functional drink. PME3-1 was made using supercritical extraction to evaluate the prevention of hyperlipidemia. This study explored the hypolipidemic effect of PME3-1 on hamsters on a high fat and cholesterol (HFC) diet. Three groups of hamsters were fed with PME3-1 (0.2, 1.0, and 5.0 mg/kg bw). After feeding for eight weeks, PME3-1 reduced the serum cholesterol, triglyceride levels, the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL/HDL) ratio, and the swelling of the liver and kidney significantly (p p p in vivo.

Keywords

• high fat and cholesterol diet
• atherosclerotic index
• lipid peroxidation product
• reactive oxygen species
• HMG-CoA reductase