Effects of citrus latifolia extract on dyslipidemia and tissues redox status in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet

Purpose This study aims to investigate the possible effect of Citrus latifolia (CL) extract on biomarkers of oxidative stress, including lipid peroxidation products in rats fed a high cholesterol diet Design/methodology/approach Hypercholesterolemia was induced by feeding normocholesterolemic rats 1 per cent cholesterol-enriched diet for 15 days. An experimental group (n = 20) was divided into two groups (n = 10) and fed the same diet with or without CL lyophilized aqueous extract (1 per cent) for four weeks. At day 28, ten rats from each group were killed. Findings Treatment with CL lyophilized aqueous extract compared with the untreated group had decreased plasma total cholesterol (TC) (-36 per cent), triacylglycerols (-48 per cent), isoprostanes values (-74 per cent) and reduced thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in erythrocytes (-21 per cent). However, the supplementation of CL peels in the hypercholesterolemic diet enhanced superoxide dismutase (+69 per cent), glutathione reductase (+30 per cent) and catalase activities (+34 per cent). Originality/value In hypercholesterolemic rats, administering CL extract ameliorates dyslipidemia and attenuates lipid peroxidation in tissues. These results suggest that CL could be beneficial in the primary treatment of hypercholesterolemia and oxidative damage caused by a high-cholesterol diet.