title: Anti-hypercholesterolemic effect of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed on high-fat diet Sprague dawley rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the antihypercholesterolemic effects of kenaf seed samples and compare with the commercial hypocholesterolemic drug on serum lipids profiles and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the rat.
  
  
  METHODS
  Kenaf seed oil (KSO), microencapsulated kenaf seed oil (MKSO), kenaf seed extract (KSE) and defatted kenaf seed meal (DKSM) were prepared and phytochemicals screening on these samples were done prior in vivo study. Phenolic compounds in KSE were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography. There were 40 (divided in eight diet groups of 5) male Sprague dawley rats adapted to normal standard diet or hypercholesterolemic diet (HD) with or without the treatment of these kenaf samples for 32 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the kenaf samples exhibited to contain most of the major phytochemicals. KSE possessed gallic acid, tannic acid, catechin, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, syringic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, naringin acid, and protocatechuic acid. The significant higher (P<0.05) serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and MDA levels in HD group without treatment than the normal control group suggested the hypercholesterolemia was induced by the incorporation of cholesterol into diet. KSE exhibited higher cholesterol-lowering properties due to the significant lower (P<0.05) in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and MDA levels. KSE showed the highest efficiency of cholesterol-lowering activity, followed by KSO, MKSO and DKSM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DKSM, MKSO, KSO and KSE appeared to have comparable anti-hypercholesterolemic effect with the commercial hypocholesterolemic drug. Hence, kenaf seed could be used as an alternative natural source to replace the synthetic hypocholesterolemic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Ng Shy
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Tee Ai
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Nee
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Elaine Lai Chia
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Tan Chin
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Ping
authors.affiliation: Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute, PO Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kamariah
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: nyamkl@ucsiuniversity.edu.my.
authors.forename: Nyam Kar
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: Hibiscus cannabinus; Hypercholesterolemia; Oxidative stress; Phenolic compounds; Phytochemical screening; Sprague dawley