Effect of Garlic Powder on Lipid Metabolism in Stroke-prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Abstract

The effect of garlic powder on lipid metabolism was studied using stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) as an animal model. The animals (5 weeks old) were fed a standard diet containing garlic powder (1% for 3 weeks and 3% for an additional 3 weeks). The effects of garlic powder administration were as follows. 1) The increase in blood pressure was significantly prevented. 2) The content of apoE in the LDL and HDL fractions tended to increase, although changes in the levels of lipid and apolipoproteins in the serum were not observed. This suggests an increase in apoEHDL, which plays an important role in reverse cholesterol transport. 3) Cholesterol 7 α-hydroxylase activity increased significantly, while acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity tended to decrease. These results indicate that garlic powder may exert some beneficial effect on lipoprotein metabolism and could be effective for preventing hyperlipidemia.