Effect of Several Seaweed Extracts on the Triton WR-1339 Induced Hypercholesterolemia

An antihypercholesterolemic effect was observed by the intraperitoneal injection of the seaweed extract into mouse. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Triton WR-1339 (600 ㎍/g-body weight) into a mouse. Maximum level of blood cholesterol was reached at 20 hours after Triton injection. By simultaneous injection of the seaweed extract (30 ㎍/ g-body weight) with the Triton into each right and left sides of the peritoneal cavity, five of the 27 seaweed species showed antihypercholesterolemic effect. Among them, the Colpomenia bullosa extract has been found to decrease the levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein to 38% and 21%, compared to Triton injection only. For histochemical changes, hepatic tissues obtained at 40 hours after injection of the Triton and C. bullosa extract were fixed in fromol-calcium solution. In C. bullosa extract group, numbers of cholesterol particles decreased in the portal space of the liver. This indicates that the accumulation of cholesterol, caused by Triton, was prevented by the antihypercholesterolemic effect of the seaweed C. bullosa extract.