Abstract
The effect of melanoidin, prepared with a D-glucose and glycine system, on cholesterol metabolism in rats was examined. Male rats of the Wistar strain weighing ca. 140 g were fed a highcholesterol diet supplemented with nondialyzable melanoidin for three weeks. The dietary melanoidin suppressed elevation of the cholesterol level in both plasma and liver, while the cholesterol levels in feces and the contents of the caecum decreased unexpectedly. Neutral steroids other than cholesterol also decreased. However, chromatograhy of fecal steroids indicated that melanoidin markedly affected the intestinal metabolism of neutral steroids, including cholesterol. On the other hand, the fecal recovery of radioactivity from orally ingested 26 [27]-14C cholesterol was promoted by the added melanoidin, although the radioactive species were not identified. This suggested that the cholesterol level decreased due to the interference of melanoidin in the intestinal absorption of cholesterol.
