Hesperidin Lowers Activities of 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA Reductase and Acyl-CoA:Cholesterol Acyltransferase in Rats Fed High -Cholesterol Diet

In this study, a potential mechanism through which the hesperidin might work on the effect was examined in vivo. Male rats were fed a high cholesterol synthetic diet (1%, wt/wt) with hesperidin (0.1%, wt/wt) for 42 days. Activity of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase was significantly lowered by the hesperidin supplement compared to the control. Hesperidin did not significantly alter plasma or hepatic lipids, but tended to lower those lipid levels. Hesperidin also subsequently reduced the fecal neutral sterols compared to the control(253.3mg/d vs.521.9 mg/d). The inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase resulting from the hesperidin supplementation could count for the reduction in fecal neutral sterols that appears to compensate for the decreased cholesterol biosynthesis. The dose of hesperidin in a high choles-terol diet should apparently be more than 0.1% to exhibit the hypocholesterolemic response in these rats. It remains to be determined whether the observed alterations in cholesterol metabolism are specific to the rat or also could be applied to the humans.