EFFECTS OF CATECHIN CONSUMPTION ON PLASMA LIPID, LIPOPROTEIN AND LIPID PEROXIDATION LEVELS IN RATS

S. Okay ARSLAN*°, Abburrahim KOÇYIGIT*, Özcan EREL*, Necmettin AKTEPE*,
Senel AVCI*

*Harran University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Sanliurfa, TURKEY.
°Corresponding Author

Summary :
Epidemiological studies indicated that tea consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Catechins are abundant in tea and they may account for up to 30% of the dry weight of tea leaves. In this study, the effects of tea catechins on lipid, lipoproteins and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels were studied in rats. Rats were fed with 1% catechin for three weeks. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels, as the index of lipid per- oxidation, were measured by using the colorimeter method in the plasma of animals. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and TBARS levels ere significantly decreased in catechin fed rats compared to controls. However, triglyceride (TG) and high-density lioprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were not significantly effected by catechin treatment. There was a strong positive correlation between plasma LPO and LDL-C or TC in catechin fed rats. These results showed that dietary supplementation of catechin caused decrease of plasma TC, LDL-C and LPO levels, and low LPO levels were probably due to the hypolipidemic effect of catechin.

Key words:
Catechin, Lipid, Lipoprotein, Lipid peroxidation.