Dietary Karaya Saponin and Rhodobacter capsulatus Exert Hypocholesterolemic Effects by Suppression of Hepatic Cholesterol Synthesis and Promotion of Bile Acid Synthesis in Laying Hens.

This study was conducted to elucidate the mechanism underlying the hypolipidemic action of karaya saponin or Rhodobacter (R.) capsulatus. A total of 40 laying hens (20-week-old) were assigned into four dietary treatment groups and fed a basal diet (as a control) or basal diets supplemented with either karaya saponin, R.

Metabolism of exogenous fatty acids, fatty acid-mediated cholesterol efflux, PKA and PKC pathways in boar sperm acrosome reaction.

Purpose: For understanding the roles of fatty acids on the induction of acrosome reaction which occurs under association of cholesterol efflux and PKA or PKC pathways in boar spermatozoa, metabolic fate of alone and combined radiolabeled C-oleic acid and H-linoleic acid incorporated in the sperm was compared, and behavior of cholesterol and effects of PKA and PKC inhibitors upon fatty acid-induced acrosome reaction were examined.

Methods: Semen was collected from a Duroc boar, and the metabolic activities of fatty acids in the spermatozoa were measured using radioactive compounds and thin layer chromatography. Cholesterol efflux was measured with a cholesterol determination assay kit.

Karaya root saponin exerts a hypocholesterolemic response in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.

Different sources of saponins are known to have hypocholesterolemic activity with varying degrees of efficacy. We hypothesize that karaya root saponin would efficiently reduce cholesterol. The aim of this study is to examine the comparative hypocholesterolemic effect of karaya root saponin in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.

Effect of amino acids and dipeptides on the acrosome reaction and accumulation of ammonia in porcine spermatozoa.

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of amino acids and their dipeptides in the medium related to the urea cycle on the motility, viability, acrosome reaction (AR) and accumulation of ammonia in the medium over different incubation periods in porcine spermatozoa and to assess the utilization of glucose. Porcine spermatozoa were washed, swim-up and incubated at 37°C for 0-4 h in mTALP medium supplemented with 75-600 µmol/L ammonia. Amino acids (1.