Abstract
Kokuto, a traditional cane sugar of Okinawa, has been reported to have antioxidative and lipid-lowering properties. In this experiment, we investigated the effect of three different kinds of Kokuto (KA, KB, and KC) on atherosclerosis in two different animal models : Japanese quail and apolipoprotein E deficient (apoE-/-) mice. Ingestion of Kokuto had no significant effect on the serum and liver lipid levels of Japanese quail. Dietary intake of atherogenic diet (AD) with KA and KB decreased the liver triglyceride level and body weight in apoE-/- mice. Quail fed on AD with KA developed less extent of lipid-containing aortic intimal thickening lesions than those fed on AD with sucrose. Dietary intake of AD with Kokuto or sucrose induced aortic atheromatous lesions in mice, but the extent of atheromatous lesions was roughly comparable between these dietary groups of apoE-/- mice. The present study suggests that Kokuto prevents lipid-containing aortic intimal thickening lesions in Japanese quail.
