Atherosclerosis-preventing activity of lactic acid bacteria-fermented milk-soymilk supplemented with Momordica charantia.

In this study, the milk-soymilk and milk-soymilk supplemented with Momordica charantia , a common oriental vegetable possessing medicinal activities, were fermented by lactic bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of milk-soymilk and fermented milk-soymilk with or without M. charantia on atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic hamsters. Fermented 25% milk and 75% soymilk combinations, supplemented with 1% M. charantia solution, can improve the acceptability of the fermented beverage. A total of 72 male Golden Syrian hamsters were divided into 9 groups (n = 8/group), and experimental diets were provided with a normal diet for the normal group and a high-cholesterol diet for others. The milk-soymilk and fermented milk-soymilk with or without M. charantia were administrated for 8 weeks. The milk-soymilk and fermented milk-soymilk with and without M. charantia were able to significantly decrease (p < 0.05) the serum cholesterol and the atherosclerotic plaque in aorta based on the comparison to the high-cholesterol diet (H) group. The groups on fermented milk-soymilk by Lactobacillus plantarum NTU 102 with or without M. charantia could significantly decrease (p < 0.05) the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The femented milk-soymilk by Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 supplemented with M. charantia had an anti-atherosclerotic activity by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant status (TAS) activity of the blood and relieving the degree of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) compared to the other treatments. It is concluded that the milk-soymilk and the fermented milk-soymilk supplemented with or without M. charantia by L. paracasei subsp. paracasei NTU 101 are effective in preventing and retarding the hyperlipidemia-induced oxidative stress and atherosclerosis.