Effect of Dietary Bellflower(Platycodon glandiflorum) and Red Ginseng on Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Effects of bellflower and red ginseng on plasma and liver lipid metabolism in rats receiving dietary cholesterol were studied. During experimental period of 14 days the rats were divided into four dietary groups: standard diet: Control diet containing 1% cholesterol and 0.25% sodium cholate to the standard diet: bellflower diet containing 5% bellflower to the control diet, and red ginseng diet containing 5% red ginseng to the control diet. The contents of total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol(HC), total lipid(TL) and triglyceride(TG) in the plasma and liver were determined after 12 hours fasting. Liver weight of the rats fed control, bellflower or red ginseng diets was greater than that of the rats fed standard diet, however, kidney weight was greater at the standard group. Spleen weight was slightly greater in bellflower diet group. Rats fed control, bellflower and red ginseng diets showed significantly higher concentrations of TL, TC and TG, but lower concentration of HC in the plasma and liver than rats fed standard diet. Neither dietary bellflower nor red ginseng changed the levels of these four classes of lipid in the plasma of control diet group. But bellflower reduced the level of TG in the liver.