Studies on the Laboratory Animal Modelling of Atherosclerosis and the Preventive Mechanisms of Dietary Fiber against Atherosclerosis

동맥경화증의 실험동물 모델화와 식이섬유의 동맥경화 방어기전에 관한 연구

mechanisms for the hypocholesterolemic effects of $\beta$-glucan remain unclear. Rats were divided into 3 groups ; normal control group, atherogenic group(oral administration of cholesterol 40 mg/kg/day plus vit. $D_2$ 320,000 IU/kg/day), $\beta$-glucan treatment group(atherogenic treatment plus $\beta$-glucan 0.135 g/kg/day). The $\beta$-glucan treatment group showed moderate increases of serum lipids concentration compared with atherogenic group. In histopathological examination, aortas showed no critical lesions. The total fecal neutral sterols and bile acids excreted for 6 days was increased compared with both normal and atherogenic group. To compare effects of soluble fiber and insoluble fiber extracted from barley on postprandial lipemia, 5 healthy male adults ingested on separate days a low-fiber(total dietary fiber 2.61g) control meal or dietary fiber-enriched(12.61g) meals. Fasting and postprandial blood samples were obtained for 6.5h and serum lipids were analyzed. The serum total lipids, total cholesterols, LDL & VLDL-cholesterol were markedly reduced with soluble fiber-enriched meals, but no decrease with insoluble fiber-enriched meals. These results suggest that mechanisms for the hypocholesterolemic effect of $\beta$-glucan on rats were due to the inhibition of cholesterol absorption in the intestinal lumen and acceleration of cholesterol catabolism in the liver. And the soluble dietary fiber($\beta$-glucan) has the hypocholesterolemic effect by dropping serum LDL & VLDL-cholesterol in the clinical study.