Dietary fibre and cholesterol metabolism: effect of fibre rich polysaccharide from blackgram (Phaseolus mungo) on cholesterol metabolism in rats fed normal and atherogenic diet.

The effect of the fibre rich polysaccharide from black gram was studied on the concentration of cholesterol in the tissues, bile salts in the liver and faecal excretion of sterols and bile salts in rats fed normal and high fat cholesterol diet as compared to glucose and sucrose. The binding of bile salts "in vitro" by the polysaccharide was also studied. The rats fed polysaccharide showed the lowest level of cholesterol in the serum, liver and aorta both in normal and high fat -- cholesterol diet groups. Excretion of faecal sterols and bile salts was maximum in the animals fed polysaccharide. The concentration of bile salts in the liver was also maximum in the animals of this group. There was significant binding of bile salts by the polysaccharide when either natural bile or pure bile salt solution was shaken with it. The extent of binding of bile salts was however decreased in the presence of fatty acids, which also released some of the absorbed bile salts from the polysaccharide on subsequent shaking.