Effects of Cordyceps militans Cultivated on Rice on Lipid Metabolism in Rats Fed High Fat-cholesterol Diets

Dongchunghacho rice, produced by cultivating Dongchunghacho fungus on rice, could be an effective functional food because it offers added value to rice and thus increases rice consumption. However, the physiological effect of Dongchunghacho rice has not been reported yet although there is increasing consumers demand. Therefore, we investigated the effect of Dongchunghacho rice (unpolished rice cultivated with Cordyceps militaris) on lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic rats. Forty of 8 wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups after a 1 week of adaptation period and fed either a normal diet (66% polished rice diet, NC), high fat (12 g/100 g)-high cholesterol (1 g/100 g) diet with 53% polished rice (HC), or high fat-high cholesterol diets supplemented with 30% of the total rice as either unpolished rice (DR) or Dongchunghacho rice (DR). After 4 weeks, rats fed the Dongchunghacho rice diet with high fat and cholesterol had dramatically lower plasma LDL cholesterol concentrations and atherogenic indexes and higher plasma HDL cholesterol levels compared with the rats consuming polished rice or unpolished rice with high fat and cholesterol diet. Dongchunghacho rice led to less total lipid and total cholesterol accumulation in liver. However, these significant reductions in plasma or hepatic lipid profiles were not closely correlated with fecal total lipid or total cholesterol excretion. The plasma concentration of total cholesterol and triglycerides were not affected by Dongchunghacho rice. This hypolipidemic effect of Dongchunghacho rice seemed to be unrelated to unpolished rice itself, because the plasma and hepatic lipid profiles of DR group were not different from that of the HC group. These results suggest that unpolished rice containing cultivated Cordyceps militaris can improve plasma and hepatic lipid profiles in rats fed with high fat-high cholesterol diet.