Antioxidant Activities and Protective Effects on Hyperlipidemic Mice of Chinese Oat Rice Wine

Abstract

Antioxidant Activities and Lipid-decrease Ability of Oat Rice Wine and other nutrients. The flavor varies widely among different rice wines, and largely depends on the microorganisms used in the brewing process. Hongqu, also called red yeast rice or red fermented rice by Monascus spp., is used as a traditional medicine which has benefited digestion and vascular functions for many centuries. The monacolins from Hongqu reportedly exhibit a cholesterol-lowering action by inhibiting the HMG-CoA reductase, similar to the commercial statin drug 18. Monacolins are a type of polyketides with the ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis and lower plasma cholesterol levels independent of diet. One of the monacolins (Monacolin K) has an identical chemical structure to Lovastatin, which is widely sold as a prescription cholesterol-lowering drug, but the other monacolins in Hongqu may also have cholesterol-lowering activity. Moreover, Hongqu is considered to be one of