Lipid-lowering Effect and Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Natto-monascus Complex
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Abstract:
The lipid-lowering effect of natto-monascus complex (NMC) and the pharmacokinetic characteristics of its component lovastatin was investigated. SD rats were divided into normal group, model group, NMC low-, medium- and high-dose groups, and positive drug lovastatin group. Except for the normal group, the rats in the other groups were fed a high-fat diet to induce hyperlipidemia. The contents of total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TGs), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the sera of rats in each group were measured after 4 weeks of continuous intragastric administration, and the liver tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for analysis. In this study, the changes in the content of lovastatin in plasma of beagle dogs after oral administration of NMC were measured by LC-MS. The results showed that the administration of low-, medium- and high-doses of NMC decreased significantly (p<0.01) the levels of LDL-C and TG in high fat diet-induced rats, and the level of TC decreased significantly (p<0.01) in the high-dose group. Moreover, medium- and high-doses of NMC could ameliorate lipid accumulation in the livers by high fat diet in rats. In addition, after a single oral administration of NMC, the time for lovastatin in beagle dogs to reach the peak amount was 1.17 h, with the maximum plasma concentration being 62.33 mg/mL, the elimination half-life being 5.95 h, and the retention time being 7.83 h. This study proves that NMC can reduce the level of blood lipids in rats induced by the high-fat diet, and provides apreliminary analysis of the pharmacokinetic characteristics of lovastatin in beagle dogs. The research results can provide abasis for the research and development of natto-monascus foods.
