Effect of Chestnut and Acorn on Lipid Metabolism, Antioxidative Capacity and Antithrombptic Capacity in Rats

This study wa performed to investigate the effect of dired powder of chestnut and acorn on lipid metabolism, antioxidative capacity and antithrombotic effect in rats. Fifty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 199$\pm$17g were blocked into nine groups according to their body weight. Rats were raised with diets containing only flesh or flesh with inner skin of 5% and 10% dried nut powders for four weeks. Food intake, body weight gain, food efficiency ratio and organ weight were no different among the experimental groups. The plasma and liver lipid levels of all the nut diet groups were lover than those of the control group. The nut diets showed hypolipidenic effect in the plasma and liver. Plasma and liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations were significantly decreased in all the nut diet groups. The plasma TBARS levels of the inner skin groups were significantly different from the control group dose-dependently. Superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity was significantly different among the experimental groups, and all the nut groups showed higher activity than the control group. There were significant differences in SOD activity between the chestnut and acorn groups and the chestnut groups showed higher erythrocyte SOD activity and the acorn groups showed higher liver SOD activity than the other groups. Whereas catalase and GSH-Px activities in the erythrocyte and liver of both nut groups showed a tendency to increase, they were not significantly different among the experimental groups. The bleeding time and whole blood clotting time tended to be extended by feeding both types of nut but they were not significantly different among the experimental groups. Production of TX $B_2$ and PG $F_{1{\alpha}}$ was no different among the experimental groups. These results suggest that chestnut and acorn diets have the effect of lowering plasma and liver lipid levels, inhibiting lipid peroxide formation and increasing antioxidative enzymes activity. Thus, it is plausible that chestnut and acorn could be recommended in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

밤과 도토리의 과육 및 내피가 흰쥐의 지방대사, 항산화능 및 항혈전능에 미치는 영향