Effects of Portulaca oleracea Powder on the Lipid Levels of Rats Fed a Hypercholesterolemia Inducing Diet

This study was initiated to investigate the effects of lyophilized purslane (Portulaca oleracea) powder (5% and 10%) on lipid levels in rats fed a hypercholesterolemia-inducing diet (1% cholesterol). During the four week study, there were no significant differences in either weight change or the food efficiency ratio between the group fed the hypercholesterol diet alone (HC) and the groups fed the purslane powder (HCPO-I and HCPO-II, 5% and 10% purslane, respectively). In serum, the levels of total lipid, total cholesterol and LDL-C decreased significantly for the group fed the 10% purslane powder (HCPO-II) in comparison with the group fed the 5% purslane powder (HCPO-I). The atherogenic index (AI) was reduced by about 51% for the group fed the 10% purslane powder (1.47) in comparison with the HC group (3.03). The activities of GOT, GPT, ALP and LDH decreased significantly for the groups fed the purslane powder in comparison with the HC group. Regarding liver tissue, the levels of total lipid, total cholesterol and triglyceride decreased significantly for the purslane powder-fed rats compared to the HC group. The fecal lipid profiles increased significantly as the amount of purslane powder was increased. Compared to the HC group, the fecal total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher in the group fed the 10% purslane powder by about 2.8 times and 2.3 times, respectively. For the serum and liver tissue, the content of lipid peroxide decreased significantly in the groups fed purslane powder compared to the HC group. The data from this experiment show an increase in the lipid levels discharged in feces, suggesting that the supplementation of purslane powder to a hypercholesterolemia-inducing diet reduces lipid levels.