Comparison of the effect of different levels of garlic powder on the levels of serum cholesterol and triglyceride of two strains broiler chicks [arian and ross]

Garlic [Allium sativum] has been used as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Epidemiologic studies show an inverse correlation between garlic consumption and progression of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a complex and multifaceted disease and is characterized by several factors such as elevated serum lipids [cholesterol and triglyceride]. In this study, we will investigate the effect of different levels of garlic powder on serum cholesterol and triglyceride of two strains of broiler chicks. Utilizing a completely random design with factorial method, 714 one-day old broiler chicks of two different strains [Ross and Arian] were put on seven different diet regiments for a period of 8 weeks with 3 daily feedings. The chicks in the control group were exclusively put on basal diet and the other groups were fed with o.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1% of garlic powder in the basal diet. After 8 weeks blood sample was collected from the chicks. The level of serum cholesterol and triglyceride of collected blood samples were measured. The collected data was analyzed using Univariate Analysis of Variance followed by Tukey post hoc test. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Garlic powder reduced the level of serum cholesterol significantly [p < 0.01] however it did not reduce the level of serum triglyceride. There was a significant difference in reduction of the serum cholesterol level among various diets [p < 0.05]. This reduction was not observed on serum triglyceride level. Also, gender and strain of chicks did not have a significant effect on serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The results show that birds whose diet contained garlic powder, exhibit significant reduction in their serum cholesterol level, however there was no significant change in their serum triglyceride level. Garlic powder did not influence the level of serum lipids among the two strains of subject chicks. It was also observed that the gender or strain of the subject chicks had no bearing on the effect of garlic powder on the level of cholesterol and triglyceride

In vitro effect of nicotine and cotinine on susceptibility of LDL to oxidation and hemoglobin glycosylation

Nicotine, a major component of cigarette smoke, plays an important role in development of cardiovascular disease and lung cancer in smokers. This study was designed to determine the in vitro effects of nicotine and its metabolite, cotinine on the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation and hemoglobin glycosylation. Three different concentrations of each component [10, 15, 25 micro g/ml] were used. The glycosylation rate of hemoglobin in the presence and absence of nicotine and cotinine were measured by colorimetric method. The susceptibility of LDL to in vitro oxidation was assessed by the Regnstrom technique. Our data showed that nicotine and cotinine are inhibitors for Cu[2+]-induced LDL oxidation but also increased the glycosylation rate of hemoglobin. Nicotine at final concentrations of [10, 15, and 25microg/ml] increased the rate of hemoglobin glycosylation by 25%, 32% and 47%, respectively. Cotinine at similar concentrations, also increasd the rate of glycosylation by 8, 10 and 12%, respectively. Based on data obtained in our study, smoking can result in higher levels of hemoglobin glycosylation which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases