Silkworm pupae oil exerts hypercholesterolemic and antioxidant effects in high‐cholesterol diet‐fed rats

Abstract BACKGROUND Silkworm pupae is a good resource of edible oil that is especially rich in unsaturated fatty acids and is considered to be an excellent dietary supplement for hyperlipidemia. RESULTS Groups fed a high‐cholesterol diet (HCD) with silkworm pupae oil (SPO) supplementation (1, 2, or 4 mL kg−1 day−1) orally had significantly lower levels of serum total cholesterol (P < 0.05) and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05) compared to the HCD group. With regard to antioxidant parameters, except for levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) in the liver, 2 and 4 mL kg−1 day−1 of SPO supplementation leaded to higher total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.05), superoxide dismutase (P < 0.05) and GSH‐Px levels (P < 0.05), as well as lower malondialdehyde levels (P < 0.05), both in serum and liver compared to the HCD group. CONCLUSION The results of the present study indicate that supplementation with SPO can improve lipid profiles and alleviate oxidative stress in high‐cholesterol diet‐fed rats. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry