Lipid‐Lowering Effect of Eriocitrin, the Main Flavonoid in Lemon Fruit, in Rats on a High‐Fat and High‐Cholesterol Diet

Abstract

Eriocitrin (eriodictyol 7‐O‐β‐rutinoside) is the main flavonoid in lemon fruit. In this study, eriocitrin was investigated for its lowering effect on serum and hepatic lipids in high‐fat and high‐cholesterol fed rats. Rats in the control group (N= 6) were fed a 20% lard and 1% cholesterol diet for 21 d, and rats in the 0.35% eriocitrin group (N= 6) and 0.70% eriocitrin group (N= 6) were fed a diet supplemented with eriocitrin 0.35% and 0.70%, respectively. The content of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride in the eriocitrin group was no different from that of the control group. The total cholesterol, VLDL+LDL, triglyceride, and phospholipid in the serum of the 0.35% eriocitrin group showed significantly lower concentrations than the control group (P < 0.05), although there was no difference in the HDL concentrations among the groups. The lowering effect of eriocitrin for serum total cholesterol was thought to be caused by a decrease in VLDL+LDL. The 0.35% eriocitrin group was shown to have a significant increase in excretion of fecal bile acid (P < 0.05) and a tendency for enhanced hepatic m‐RNA levels of LDL receptor in comparison with the control group.

Protective effect of a litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)-flower-water-extract on cardiovascular health in a high-fat/cholesterol-dietary hamsters

“…2). Miyake et al (2006) investigated the hypolipidemic effects of eriocitrin, the main flavonoid in lemon fruit, and their observation indicates that eriocitrin can increase faecal bile acid and cholesterol outputs. Besides, the hypocholesterolemic effect of flaxseed oil was associated with the up-regulation of plasma cholesterol clearance (LDL receptor expression), and an increase of faecal cholesterol excretion (Tzang et al, 2009).…”

Development of HPLC method for Cyclopia subternata phenolic compound analysis and application to other Cyclopia spp.

“…Eriocitrin was shown to bind weakly to the oestrogen receptor, ERb, displacing 2,4,6,7-[ 3 H]17-boestradiol (Verhoog et al, 2007b) and would therefore contribute to the putative phytoesterogenicity of Cyclopia extracts. The antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects of eriocitrin (Miyake et al, 2006) could contribute to the health-promoting properties of these herbal teas. Its reliable quantification is therefore important for characterisation of extracts used for bioactivity testing and development of nutraceutical extracts.…”

Bioactive compounds and quality parameters of natural cloudy lemon juices

“…Our hesperidin results were in harmony with the Caristi et al (2003) findings. However; other researchers indicated that eriocitrin (eriodictyol 7-O-β-rutinoside) was the main flavonoid in lemon fruit (Tripoli et al 2007;Miyake et al 2006). GonzalezMolina et al (2012) studied on new beverages of lemon juice (Fino) with elderberry and grape concentrates as a source of bioactive compounds.…”