Cholesterol-lowering Action and Antioxidative Effects of Microbial Gum in C57BL/6N Mice Fed a High Fat Diet

The effect of feeding microbial gum on lipid metabolism and antioxidative status in high fat-fed C57BL/6N mice was investigated. The animals were randomly divided and fed with a normal control diet (NC group), a high fat diet (HF group), or a high fat diet supplemented with microbial gum (HFG group) for 7 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, the HF mice exhibited a marked increase in body weight, plasma and hepatic total cholesterol levels, and lipid peroxidation rate. Reduced activities of hepatic lipogenic and antioxidant enzymes were also observed in the HF group relative to that of the NC group. In contrast, feeding microbial gum counteracted the high fat diet-induced body weight gain, hypercholesterolemia, and oxidative stress by regulating antioxidant and lipogenic enzyme activities. These findings illustrate that microbial gum possess cholesterol-lowering action and antioxidant status-improving ability and may be useful for preventing and treating high fat diet-induced obesity and possibly reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases.