Sugano M, Fujikawa T, Hiratsuji Y, Nakashima K, Fukuda N, Hasegawa Y
Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 Apr;33(4):787-93. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/33.4.787.
A series of experiments with male rats clearly demonstrated the hypocholesterolemic activity of dietary chitosan. On feeding a high cholesterol diet for 20 days, addition of 2 to 5% chitosan resulted in a significant reduction, by 25 to 30%, of plasma cholesterol without influencing food intake and growth. The concentration of liver cholesterol and triglyceride also decreased significantly. Plasma, but not liver cholesterol-lowering effect, was roughly comparable with that of cholestyramine. Chitosan at the 10% level further reduced plasma cholesterol, but depressed growth. Also, finer chitosan particles tended to restrain growth even at the 2% level. In rats fed a cholesterol-free diet containing 0.5% chitosan for 81 days, the concentration of serum cholesterol was the same with that of the corresponding control, but relatively more cholesterol existed as high-density lipiproteins and less as very low-density lipoproteins. Dietary chitosan increased fecal excretion of cholesterol, both exogenous and endogenous, while that of bile acids remained unchanged. There was no constipation or diarrhea. A proper supplementation of chitosan to the diet seemed to be effective in lowering plasma cholesterol.
一系列针对雄性大鼠的实验清楚地证明了膳食壳聚糖的降胆固醇活性。在给大鼠喂食高胆固醇饮食20天的过程中，添加2%至5%的壳聚糖可使血浆胆固醇显著降低25%至30%，且不影响食物摄入量和生长情况。肝脏胆固醇和甘油三酯的浓度也显著下降。血浆胆固醇降低效果（而非肝脏胆固醇降低效果）与消胆胺大致相当。10%水平的壳聚糖进一步降低了血浆胆固醇，但抑制了生长。此外，即使在2%的水平，更细的壳聚糖颗粒也往往会抑制生长。在给大鼠喂食含0.5%壳聚糖的无胆固醇饮食81天后，血清胆固醇浓度与相应对照组相同，但高密度脂蛋白形式存在的胆固醇相对更多，极低密度脂蛋白形式存在的胆固醇相对更少。膳食壳聚糖增加了外源性和内源性胆固醇的粪便排泄量，而胆汁酸的排泄量保持不变。未出现便秘或腹泻情况。在饮食中适当补充壳聚糖似乎对降低血浆胆固醇有效。
