Consumption of functional foods for lowering serum cholesterol has globally gained acceptance by the general public. Turtle\r\njelly (TJ), also called gui-ling-gao, is a popular traditional functional food in southern China. The hypocholesterolemic effect\r\nof consuming TJ was investigated in rats fed with normal diet, high-cholesterol diet or high-cholesterol diet supplemented\r\nwith simvastatin (3 mg/kg bw per day, p.o.) or TJ (3.3 or 10 mL/kg bw per day, p.o.) for 30 days. TJ markedly reversed\r\nthe increased serum total cholesterol, increased high-density lipoprotein, and decreased high-density lipoprotein induced\r\nby hypercholesterolemic diet with a dose-dependent improvement on the atherogenic index. It also demonstrated good\r\nhepatoprotective function by reducing fat depositions and overall lipid contents in the liver and increasing the activities of hepatic\r\nantioxidative enzymes. The blunted nitric oxide/endothelium-mediated aortic relaxation in rats fed with hypercholesterolemic\r\ndiet was partially restored after TJ consumption. It is postulated that the hypocholesterolemic effect is the primary beneficial effect\r\ngiven by TJ; it then leads to secondary beneficial effects such as vasoprotective and hepatoprotective functions. The results revealed\r\nthat TJ could block the downregulation of LDLR and PEPCK and upregulation of PPARa mRNA and protein expressions in the\r\nlivers of rats fed with hypercholesterolemic diet.
Loading....