The undigested high-molecular-weight fraction (HMF) of soybean protein prepared after exhaustive digestion by microbial proteases significantly decreased serum cholesterol levels to approximately 45% (p less than 0.05) of those observed with the parent protein in rats fed diets containing cholesterol (0.5%) and sodium cholate (0.125%). HMF bound conjugated bile salts in vitro and significantly increased fecal excretion of both neutral and acidic steroids by 65-95% and 80-170% more, respectively (p less than 0.05), than did the intact protein. Extraction of HMF with methanol slightly decreased the activity, but the methanol-soluble fraction was not regarded as a principal determinant. Soybean saponin at the dietary level equivalent to that contained in HMF did not effectively lower serum cholesterol. The activity was not necessarily duplicated even when methanol-treated fractions were recombined. Further degradation of the methanol-extracted HMF by various proteases resulted in loss of activity. HMF obtained after pepsin digestion exerted a potential similar to that of HMF prepared after digestion by microbial proteases.
The enzymatic hydrolysates of chitosan with average molecular weights range from 5000 to 20 OOO and with low viscosity interfered with intestinal absorption of cholesterol in lymph fistulated rata and increased fecal excretion of neutral steroids in rats fed a cholesterol-enriched diet. The hydrolysates exerted a cholesterol-lowering activity, and it was more marked in the liver than in the serum. They also reduced liver triglyceride significantly. Chitosan hydrolysates with average molecular weights of 10 000-20 OOO were as effective as high-viscous chitosan with a molecular weight of 50 OOO. The results indicate usability of low-viscosity chitosan hydrolysate as a hypocholesterolemic agent.Chitosan, a polymer of glucosamine, exerts a marked hypocholesterolemic activity and also decreases hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride in experimental animals (Sugano et al.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.