Auxiliary Hypolipidemic Effects of Krill Oil and Monascus Extract on Rats with Hyperlipidemia
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Abstract:
The hypolipidemic effects of krill oil and extract from Monascus spp. on rats with hyperlipidemia were examined. Male rats were divided into 12 groups (n=10). The negative control and model groups were given 0.9% saline solutions, whereas the drug-treated group was given 0.01% simvastatin. The krill oil-treated groups were treated with 83.33, 166.67, and 500.00 mg/kg of krill oil daily by intragastric administration, and the Monascus extract-treated groups were similarly given 33.33, 66.67, and 200.00 mg/kg of Monascus extract daily. Similarly, the mixed treatment groups received 166.67+33.33, 166.67+66.67, and 166.67+200.00 mg/kg of krill oil+Monascus extract daily by intragastric administration. The negative control group was given a normal diet, whereas the other groups were given a high-fat diet. Measurements were performed after four weeks of treatment. The results showed that, after treatment with krill oil, Monascus extract, and their mixtures, the levels of blood TC, TG, and LDL-C decreased significantly; this decrease was dose-dependent. Therefore, krill oil, Monascus extract, and their mixtures can assist in reducing lipids in the blood. The serum contents of ALT and AST in the low-dosage krill oil, high-dosage Monascus extract, high-dosage mixture, and simvastatin groups were significantly lower than those in the model group. The group treated with high-dosage krill oil+Monascus extract mixture (166.67+200.00 mg/kg krill oil+Monascus extract) demonstrated the most significant reductions in the levels of TC (from 4.14 mmol/L to 3.37 mmol/L), TG (from 2.77 mmol/L to 1.51 mmol/L), and LDL-C (from 0.37 mmol/L to 0.25 mmol/L). Therefore, the hypolipidemic effect of the mixture of krill oil and Monascus extract is higher than that of the individual components. This finding enables the mixture to be utilized as an auxiliary hypolipidemic agent.
