Abstract
Sodium alginate oligosaccharide (Na-AO) was prepared from sodium polyalginate by cleavage with alginate lyase, and the effects of Na-AO on serum lipids, serum minerals and urinary minerals were investigated in rats. Na-AO was administered orally to rats by gastric tube at 0.3 and 0.6g/rat/day for 31 days. Blood samples were obtained at 14, 21 and 32 days. Serum total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol in the 0.6g/rat/day group were significantly lower than in the other two groups on all sampling days. In addition, on the final day, the serum apoA-I level was also significantly low, accompanied by a tendency for a low serum triglyceride level. All other serum and blood parameters were within daily variation, and there were no significant differences among the three groups. Urinary sodium excretion was dose-dependently increased by Na-AO administration, and conversely urinary calcium excretion tended to decrease. These results suggest that Na-AO administration at 0.6g/rat/day has a hypolipidemic effect without any changes in serum minerals, and that this effect is due mainly to a decrease in HDL containing apoA-I.
