The effects of diets, supplemented with either whole persimmon or phenol-free persimmon, on rats fed cholesterol

The purpose of this study was to compare the hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of two diets in rats fed cholesterol (NOC). The experiment was performed on 3 groups of growing male Wistar rats. In each group there were 12 animals and during 4 weeks they were fed different diets: the control group (CG) fed semipurified diet with 1% of NOC, and two experimental groups (EG1) and (EG2) fed the same diet fortified with 7% of whole dry persimmon and 7% of phenol-free dry persimmon, respectively. Before and after the 4 week trial period, in rats of all groups, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, tryglicerides (TG) and lipid peroxides (LP) were studied. The results of the experiment showed a statistically significant increase in plasma TC and LDL-C only in CG (P < 0.0005) and EG2 (P < 0.0025). The increase of TC and LDL-C in the EG-1 fed diet, supplemented with whole persimmon, was statistically not significant (P for both < 0.1). Only in EG1 was a statistically not significant increase in HDLC registered (P < 0.1). The decrease in HDL-C/TC ratio in this group of rats was minimal (from 0.57 to 0.54). A significant increase of LP was found in all three groups. An increase of LP with the EG2-fed diet, supplemented with phenol-free persimmon, was equal to the increase of LP in CG, For the EG1-fed diet supplemented with whole persimmon, a statistically less significant increase of LP was found (P < 0.05 versus both EG2 and CG). The results of this experiment show that both diets fortified with 7% of whole dry persimmon and with 7% of phenol-free dry persimmon improve lipid levels. But only diet supplemented with whole persimmon exerts an antioxidant effect. Therefore, the antioxidant effect of this fruit is associated mainly with persimmon phenols and not with the persimmon fibre. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.