Silkworm pupae oil exerts hypercholesterolemic and antioxidant effects in high-cholesterol diet-fed rats.

Background: Silkworm pupae is a good resource of edible oil that is especially rich in unsaturated fatty acids and is considered to be an excellent dietary supplement for hyperlipidemia.

Results: Groups fed a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) with silkworm pupae oil (SPO) supplementation (1, 2, or 4 mL kg  day ) orally had significantly lower levels of serum total cholesterol (P < 0.05) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05) compared to the HCD group. With regard to antioxidant parameters, except for levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the liver, 2 and 4 mL kg  day of SPO supplementation leaded to higher total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.05), superoxide dismutase (P < 0.05) and GSH-Px levels (P < 0.05), as well as lower malondialdehyde levels (P < 0.05), both in serum and liver compared to the HCD group.

Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that supplementation with SPO can improve lipid profiles and alleviate oxidative stress in high-cholesterol diet-fed rats. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.