ABSTRACT
Aims: to investigate the potential of Mucuna milk to influence weight gain, blood lipid levels and redox status in a rat model on a high-fat diet. Study Design: 42 healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups of 6 rats. Group I received a standard diet; Group II was fed a high fat diet only; Group III was fed a high fat diet and treated with Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg per day) orally for 4 weeks; Group IV, V, VI and VII were tests groups fed a high fat diet and given orally 20 mL of vegetable milk. Methodology: Mucuna milks were produced from two varieties of Mucuna seeds. Three controls (I, II, III) made of normal rats fed with standard diet, rats fed with high fat diet and rats fed with high fat diet received orally atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day). In addition, four test groups (IV, V, VI, VII) consisting of rats fed a high fat diet received oral administration of 20 mL of vegetable milk per day (10 mL at morning and 10 mL in the afternoon). Results: After four weeks, rats on a high-fat diet had an increase in their initial body weight of about 224%, with higher abdominal fat. A significant increase (P<0.05) in lipid peroxidation (MDA) in the liver and heart was also observed. However, oral administration of Mucuna milk inhibited weight gain (about 66% reduction) and abdominal fat (54.53 – 55.60% reduction). The reduction of LDL, VLDL, Triglycerides and Total cholesterol was remarkable in the groups of rats treated with vegetable milk, as about 67% of reduction was observed with dehulled Mucuna milks (DCM, DVM) and 69 % of reduction with whole Mucuna milks (WCM, WVM). The hyperlipidaemic group of rats had higher levels of ASAT (134.17 UI/L) and ALAT (101.72 UI/L). However, Mucuna milks improved the ASAT and ALAT levels in rats. The reduction of MDA (70-50%) was related to phenolic content of Mucuna milks. Moreover, significant and negative correlations was observed between catalase and MDA (r= -0.86; P =0.05); MDA and SOD (r= - 0.60; P=0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that treatment with Mucuna milks has anti-hyperlipidaemia properties and can increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes.