Abstract
Hypocholesterolemic activities of various polysaccharide derivatives, synthetic polymers and lignin were examined in the hypercholesterolemic rats fed casein-sucrose diets containing 1% cholesterol and 0.25% bile salts with the addition of each polymer at the level of 5%.
As for the results, a striking suppression of serum and liver cholesterol concentration was observed in the rats placed on the hydroxyethyl cellulose diet. Also, carboxymethyl cellulose and propylene glycol alginate showed the liver cholesterol depressing effect. In these three polymers, the apparent accumulation ratio of liver cholesterol to injested cholesterol was remarkably reduced to the level of about one-half of the control group.
None of various synthetic polymers, carboxymethyl starch, ethyl cellulose, polypropylene glycol and lignin had the hypocholesterolemic activity under these experimental conditions.
