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Dietary fenugreek seed regresses preestablished cholesterol gallstones in mice R.L.R. Reddy and K. Srinivasan
Abstract: An animal study was carried out to evaluate the influence of dietary fenugreek seeds on regression of preestablished cholesterol gallstones (CGS). CGS was induced by feeding a high-cholesterol diet for 10 weeks. After CGS induction, the animals were maintained for a further 10 weeks on experimental diets of high cholesterol, 6% fenugreek powder, 12% fenugreek powder, or basal control. Incidence of CGS and its severity were evaluated at the end of this feeding regimen. The incidence of CGS was significantly lowered as a result of dietary fenugreek seeds, the extent of regression being 61% and 64% in the low and high dose groups compared with 10% regression in the basal control group. The antilithogenic influence of dietary fenugreek was accompanied by significant reductions of more than 35% in serum cholesterol concentration. Hepatic cholesterol concentration was also profoundly lowered by dietary fenugreek, being 53%–63% lower than that of the basal control diet. Biliary cholesterol concentration was significantly lower as a result of dietary fenugreek during the post-CGS induction period, resulting in a decreased cholesterol:phospholipid ratio (0.44 and 0.40 compared with 0.79 in the basal control group). Biliary cholesterol : bile acid ratio was lowered by 67% and 73% upon feeding fenugreek, significantly lower than that in the basal control group. The cholesterol saturation index in the bile was also beneficially lowered by fenugreek treatment during the post-CGS induction period (the index was 0.90 and 0.42 compared with 1.86 in the basal control group). The present study provides evidence of the potency of hypolipidemic fenugreek seeds in regressing preestablished CGS, and this beneficial antilithogenic effect is attributable to its primary influence on cholesterol levels. This finding is significant in the context of evolving a dietary strategy to address CGS, which could help in preventing the incidence and regression of existing CGS and controlling possible recurrence. Key words: cholesterol gallstone disease, regression, biliary cholesterol, cholesterol saturation index, dietary fenugreek seeds. Re´sume´ : On re´alise une e´tude animale afin d’e´valuer les effets be´ne´fiques des graines alimentaires de fenugrec sur la re´gression des calculs biliaires de choleste´rol (CGS) de´ja` en place. On ge´ne`re des CGS en alimentant les animaux d’une ration riche en choleste´rol durant une pe´riode de 10 semaines. Apre`s la production de CGS, on poursuit l’e´tude pour une autre pe´riode de 10 semaines avec 4 groupes d’animaux : l’un continuant sur le meˆme re´gime, l’autre recevant un re´gime ` la fin de controˆle et les deux autres recevant des rations contenant 6 % et 12 % de poudre de fenugrec respectivement. A du programme d’alimentation, on e´value l’incidence des CGS et leur gravite´. L’incidence de CGS diminue significativement chez les groupes ayant consomme´ des graines de fenugrec; la re´gression des CGS est de 61 % et de 64 % chez les groupes ayant consomme´ moins ou plus de ces graines respectivement alors que la re´gression n’est que de 10 % dans le groupe de controˆle. L’action antilithoge`ne des graines de fenugrec dans l’alimentation est accompagne´e d’une diminution significative de plus de 35 % de la concentration se´rique de choleste´rol. La concentration he´patique de choleste´rol diminue substantiellement a` la suite de la consommation de graines de fenugrec; comparativement au groupe de controˆle, la diminution est de 53 % a` 63 %. La concentration biliaire de choleste´rol diminue significativement a` la suite de la consommation de graines de fenugrec au cours des 10 semaines suivant la production initiale des CGS; le ratio choleste´rol / phospholipides s’abaisse jusqu’a` 0,40 – 0,44 comparativement a` 0,79 chez le groupe de controˆle. En outre, a` la suite de la consommation de graines de fenugrec, le ratio choleste´rol biliaire / acides biliaires diminue beaucoup plus (de 67 % et ` la suite de la production des CGS, l’indice de saturation du choleste´rol biliaire 73 %) que dans le groupe de controˆle. A diminue favorablement graˆce a` la consommation de graines de fenugrec : 0,90 et 0,42 comparativement a` 1,86 chez le groupe de controˆle. Cette e´tude de´montre le potentiel hypolipide´miant des graines de fenugrec sur la re´duction des CGS en place ; elle de´montre aussi l’effet antilithoge`ne be´ne´fique par son action principale sur les taux de choleste´rol. Ces observations sont importantes dans le de´veloppement de strate´gies alimentaires pour le traitement des CGS ; les graines de fenugrec diminuent l’incidence des CGS et la taille des CGS en place et limitent fort probablement la re´currence. Mots-cle´s : calculs biliaires de choleste´rol, re´gression, choleste´rol biliaire, indice de saturation du choleste´rol, graines alimentaires de fenugrec. [Traduit par la Re´daction]
Received 20 February 2009. Accepted 19 June 2009. Published on the NRC Research Press Web site at cjpp.nrc.ca on 8 September 2009. R.L.R. Reddy and K. Srinivasan.1 Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Mysore 570 020, India. 1Corresponding
author (e-mail:
[email protected]).
Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 87: 684–693 (2009)
doi:10.1139/Y09-062
Published by NRC Research Press
Reddy and Srinivasan
Introduction Cholesterol gallstone (CGS) disease is a highly prevalent gastroenterological disorder resulting from alteration in hepatic and biliary cholesterol homeostasis. The prevalence of this disease is very high (10%–15% of the population) in Europe and the United States, lower (3%–15%) in Asia, and very low (
