BACKGROUND: Great concerns haven been given increasingly on inhibition of nutrient with antioxidation efficacy on lipid peroxidation and its effect on prevention of cardiac vascular disease.OBJECTIVE: To probe into the effects of plantain seed that acts on eliminating oxygenic free radical and antioxidation on lipid metabolism and antioxidation in rats.DESIGN: Randomized control experiment was designed.SETTING: Experimental Room of Pharmacology and Toxicology of New Drug in Hebei Province.PARTICIPANTS: The experiment was performed in Experimental Room of Pharmacology and Toxicology of New Drug in Hebe Province from January to December 2004, in which, 40 SD rats were employed, provided from Hebei Experimental Animal Center, of healthy grade I, mass weighted (210±22) g and of either sex. They were randomized into 5groups, named, blank control, positive control, low dosage experiment group, moderate dosage experiment group and high dosage experiment group, 8 rats in each one.METHODS: In blank control, the rats were bred everyday with basic forage that was tallied with AoAc animal nutrient criteria and they were free of drinking. In positive control, the rats were bred with high-lipid forage and free of drinking. In the groups of low, moderate and high dosages of plantain seed, the rats were bred with 2.5 g/kg, 5 g/kg and 15 g/kg plantain seed successively besides high-lipid forage and they were free of drinking. The weight was measured and the food intake was recorded every week. Fasting blood was collected to check total cholesterol in serum once every two weeks. The experiment was end in 12 weeks. Under anesthesia,the blood was collected from hypogastric aorta to check the level of serum blood lipid and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase.After blood collection, the heart and liver were extracted immediately for management to measure SOD activity and content of lipid peroxide (LPO)in myocardial tissue and the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase in liver tissue.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Level of blood lipid and activities of SOD and catalase in rats.RESULTS: Forty rats were employed and all entered result analysis. [1]Serum total cholesterol: It was lower significantly in high dosage group compared with positive control [(1.40±0.13, 1.83±0.13) mmol/L, P ＜ 0.05].[2] Serum SOD activity: It was lower remarkably in positive control compared with blank control [(174.29±10.33, 193.19±.7813) NU/mg, P ＜ 0.05].[3] LPO content in serum: It was higher significantly in positive control compared with blank control [(3.64±0.26, 2.91±0.50) mmol/mg, P ＜ 0.05]and it was lower significantly in moderate dosage group compared with positive control (3.13±0.26, 3.64±0.26, P ＜ 0.05). [4] Activity of catalase in liver tissue: It was lower remarkably in positive control compared with normal control (34.64±3.26, 44.72±2.67, P ＜ 0.05) and it was higher remarkably in moderate dosage group compared with positive control (44.84±3.79,34.96±3.64, P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: Plantain seed reduces the levels of total cholesterol,triglycerin (TG) and LPO in serum and increases SOD activity. At the concentration of 15 g/kg, plantain seed acts most remarkably on eliminating oxygenic free radical and antioxidation and alleviates lipid metabolic disturbance.

BACKGROUND: Recently, it is investigated that shell of plantain seed is a soluble dietary fiber which can be added into foods to regulate content of cholesterol.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the interventional effect of plantain seed on lipid and its lipid peroxidation in rats with hyperlipidemia.DESIGN: Completely randomized grouping design and controlled animal study.SETTING: Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology for New Drug in Hebei Province.MATERIALS: ① A total of 24 healthy SD rats, of grade I, aged 60-70 days, weighting (210±22) g, of either gender, were selected in this study. ② Basic feed was provided by Experimental Animal Center in Hebei Province,and the fractional mass of each component was mentioned as following:flour 0.25, bran 0.1, corn dust 0.22, bean cake 0.22, fish dust 0.02, bone dust 0.02, grass dust 0.05, salt 0.01, yeast dust 0.02, and sunflower seed 0.03. High fat feed was provided by Experimental Animal Center in Hebei Province, and the fractional mass of each component was mentioned as following: basic 0.9, cholesterol 0.015, lard 0.08, and hyocholic salt 0.003.③ Lipid kit was provided by Baoding Changcheng Clinical Reagent Company, and kits of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT),glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were provided by Nanjing Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute.METHODS: The experiment was completed at the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology for New Drug in Hebei Province from June to December 2004. ① All 24 rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:normal control group, model group and plantain seed group with 8 in each group. Rats in the normal control group were fed with basic feed. Rats in plantain seed group were fed with high fat feed + 15 g/kg plantain seed and drank routinely. Experimental rats were fed in cages, respectively.Each one was fed with 25 g/d food and drunk freely. The experimental cycle was 12 weeks. ② At the end of experiment, rats were anesthetized to assayed levels of serum triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), serum SOD and MDA, activities of CAT and SOD in myocardial tissue, content of MDA, and activities of CAT and GSH-Px in hepatic tissue with related kits. ③ Measurement data were compared between each two group with t test.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Comparison of serum lipid level and anti-oxidation among groups at 12 weeks after modeling.RESULTS: All 24 rats were involved in the final analysis. ① At 12 weeks after modeling, activities of SOD in serum and myocardial tissue were lower in model group than those in normal control group and plantain seed group (P ＜ 0.05), but levels of MDA in serum and myocardial tissue were higher in model group than those in normal control group and plantain seed group (P ＜ 0.05). ② At 12weeks after modeling, activities of CAT and GSH-Px in serum and myocardial tissue were lower in model group than those in normal control group and plantain seed group (P ＜ 0.05). ③ At 12 weeks after modeling, levels of TC and TG in serum were higher in model group than those in normal control group and plantain seed group (P ＜ 0.05), but level of HDL-C and ratio between HDL-C and TC in serum were lower in model group than those in normal control group and plantain seed group (P ＜ 0.05).CONCLUSION: Plantain seed at dosage of 15 g/kg can decrease content of lipid and strengthen anti-oxidation of economy in rats with hyperlipidemia.