Abstract
Our previous studies indicate that the volatile fractions containing the unsaponifiable matter of corn oil and those of soybean oil reduce plasma, liver and adrenal cholesterol levels when fed rats at 0.2% levels of the unsaponifiable matter in the hypercholesterolemic diet.
The present paper is concerned with the effect of the crystalline sterols separated from the unsaponifiable matter of corn oil and soybean oil on plasma and liver cholesterol levels of rats when fed at 0.2% levels in the diet containing 1% of cholesterol, 0.3% of sodium cholate and 10% of lard with 7.5% of linoleic acid glycerides.
Corn sterol prepared from the unsaponifiable matter of corn oil and crystallized from the alcoholic solution showed m. p. 136°C, [α]26D-33.1° (2% in chloroform) and soybean sterol crystallized from the alcoholic solution showed m. p. 135°C, [α]26D-37.2° (4% in chloroform).
The addition of these crystalline sterols at 0.2% levels in the diet caused significant reduction in plasma and liver cholesterol levels, especially, the total plasma cholesterol to 71-76% of those of control hypercholesterolemic diet.
These sterols were analysed by gas-chromatography. As shown in Fig. 1, peaks A, B and C of soybean sterols and peaks A', B' and C' of corn sterols Were campesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol, respectively. A quantitative measurement of peak areas of the gas-chromatogram showed that the amounts of these sterols were: campesterol 21.5, stigmasterol 33.5 and β-sitosterol 45.0% for soybean sterols and campesterol 20.9, stigmasterol 7.3 and β-sitosterol 67.3% for corn sterols.
