PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF GREEN TEA EXTRACT ON LIPID ABNORMALITIES IN SERUM, LIVER AND AORTA OF MICE FED A ATHEROGENIC DIET

This study examined the preventive effects of green tea extract on hyperlipidemia and lipid accumulation in the liver and aorta of mice fed an atherogenic diet enriched with 1.5% cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid and 5% linoleic acid for a period of 14 weeks. The animals were given green tea extract in drinking water at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day. Treatment with green tea extract prevented the increase of serum cholesterol induced by the atherogenic diet 6 weeks after the start of the experiment. The increase of serum lipid peroxides was markedly prevented in a dose-related manner. The green tea extract also tended to prevent the increase of serum phospholipid and the decline of lecithin: cholesterol acltransferase, but could not prevent decreases in serum triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. As for liver cholesterol, its content, particularly free cholesterol, in mice fed the atherogenic diet could be prevented from increasing by treatment with the extract at 50 and 100 mg/kg/day. In addition, the increase of aortic cholesterol, particularly esterified cholesterol, could be prevented in a dose-related manner. These results suggest that green tea has anti-atherosclerotic activity.