title: Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Aloe vera gel improve lipid profiles in hypercholesterolemic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Aloe vera (AV) gel on lipid profiles in rats with induced hypercholesterolemia were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five treatment groups of rats (n = 7) were the fed experimental diets: a normal control diet, a hypercholesterolemic diet (HD), HD + LGG, HD + AV gel, and HD + LGG + AV gel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Supplementation with LGG decreased serum total cholesterol by 32%; however, in combination with AV, the decrease was 43%. The decreases in triacylglycerol levels in the HD + LGG, HD + AV, and HD + LGG + AV groups were 41%, 23% and 45%, respectively. High-density lipoprotein increased by 12% in the HD + LGG + AV group, whereas very low-density and low-density lipoprotein values decreased by 45% and 30%, respectively. The atherogenic index in the HD + LGG + AV group decreased to 2.45 from 4.77 in the HD + LGG group. Furthermore, fecal Lactobacillus species counts increased significantly when LGG was fed in combination with the AV gel. The oral administration of LGG fermented milk alone or in combination with the AV gel increased cholesterol synthesis (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase expression) and absorption (low-density lipoprotein receptor expression), whereas cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase mRNA expression levels were lower in the HD + LGG and HD + LGG + AV groups compared with the control HD group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of LGG and AV gel may have a therapeutic potential to decrease cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India. manoj15micro@yahoo.co.in
authors.forename: Manoj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Shruti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rakesh
authors.forename: Ravinder
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagpal
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hemalatha
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramakrishna
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sudarshan
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramagoni
authors.forename: Mohd
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shujauddin
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Akhilesh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.forename: Birbal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000504:Aloe / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005782:Gels; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy*; D052201:Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D005782:Gels; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol