[Comparative study on anti-hypercholesterolemia activity of diosgenin and total saponin of Dioscorea panthaica].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the anti-hypercholesterolemic and cholesterol absorption inhibitory activities between total saponin of Dioscorea panthaica (TSDP) and diosgenin (Dio).


METHODS
TSDP and Dio were given ig or i.p. to mice or rats treated with cholesterol feed to evaluate their preventive and therapeutic effect on hypercholesterolemia. TSDP or Dio and cholesterol were mixed with pig bile to form the micelle, then the freeing cholesterol was detected to evaluate inhibitory effect of the both compounds on cholesterol absorption.


RESULTS
Dio (80 and 160 mg.kg-1) showed significantly therapeutic and preventive effect on hypercholesterolemia in mice, while TSDP showed a certain preventive activity only at a big dose (400 mg.kg-1). The intraperitoneal injection of Dio (20 and 40 mg.kg-1) to mice suffered from hypercholesterolemia was effective, but TSDP showed no effective. The serum total cholesterol level was decreased when rats were pre-treated with TSDP (200 and 400 mg.kg-1, ig) and Dio (200 and 100 mg.kg-1, ig). However, the hypercholesterolemia-preventing activity of Dio was stronger than that of TSDP. In addition, inhibitory effect of Dio on cholesterol micelle formation was still stronger than that of TSDP.


CONCLUSIONS
The preventive and therapeutic activity of Dio against hypercholesterolemia indused by cholesterol in mice or rats is stronger than that of TSDP. The anti-hypercholesterolemia mechanism of Dio is probably related with its cholesterol absorption inhibitory activity.
Ma
Hai-ying
HY
Institute of Biological Engineering, Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China.
Zhao
Zhi-tao
ZT
Wang
Li-juan
LJ
Wang
Yan
Y
Zhou
Qiu-li
QL
Wang
Ben-xiang
BX
D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D027742:Dioscorea / Q000737:chemistry*; D004144:Diosgenin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012503:Saponins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D012503:Saponins; D002784:Cholesterol; D004144:Diosgenin