Hypocholesterolemic Effects of Nutraceuticals Produced from the Red Microalga Porphyridium sp. in Rats
1
Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
2
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
3
Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2009, 1(2), 156-167; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu1020156
Received: 8 September 2009 / Accepted: 18 November 2009 / Published: 23 November 2009
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Foodomics 2009)
Abstract
Red microalgae contain functional sulfated polysaccharides (containing dietary fibers), polyunsaturated fatty acids, zeaxanthin, vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Studies in rat models support the therapeutic properties of algal biomass and isolated polysaccharides. Algal products incorporated into rat diets were found to significantly improve total serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, hepatic cholesterol levels, HDL/LDL ratios and increased fecal excretion of neutral sterols and bile acids. Morphological and metabolic changes were induced by consumption of algal products. These results suggest that red microalgae can be used as potent hypocholesterolemic agents, and they support the potential use of red microalgae as novel nutraceuticals. View Full-Text
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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Dvir, I.; Stark, A.H.; Chayoth, R.; Madar, Z.; Arad, S.M. Hypocholesterolemic Effects of Nutraceuticals Produced from the Red Microalga Porphyridium sp. in Rats. Nutrients 2009, 1, 156-167.
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