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Hypolipidemic Effect of Avocado (Persea americana Mill) Seed in a Hypercholesterolemic Mouse Model

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Abstract

Avocado seed contains elevated levels of phenolic compounds and exhibits antioxidant properties. We investigated the effect of Avocado Seed Flour (ASF) on the lipid levels in mice on a hyperlipidemic diet. The concentration of phenols was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, antioxidant activity was evaluated using the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity method, and dietary fiber was measured using the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) method. The LD50 of ASF was determined using Lorke’s method and hypolipidemic activity was evaluated in a hypercholesterolemic model in mice. Protocatechuic acid was the main phenolic compound found in ASF, followed by kaempferide and vanillic acid. The total phenolic content in the methanolic extract of ASF was 292.00 ± 9.81 mg gallic acid equivalents/g seed dry weight and the antioxidant activity resulted in 173.3 μmol Trolox equivalents/g DW. In addition, a high content of dietary fiber was found (34.8%). The oral LD50 for ASF was 1767 mg/kg body weight, and treatment with ASF significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol, LDL-C, and prediction of the atherogenic index. Therefore, the antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds and dietary fiber in ASF may be responsible for the hypocholesterolemic activity of ASF in a hyperlipidemic model of mice.

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Abbreviations

ABTS:

2, 2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)

AI:

Atherogenic Index

ASF:

Avocado Seed Flour

BW:

Body Weight

GAE:

Gallic Acid Equivalents

HDL-C:

High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol

LDL-C:

Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol

LD50 :

Median Lethal Dose

TC:

Total Cholesterol

TG:

Triglycerides

Trolox:

6-hydroxy-2, 5, 7, 8 tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid

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Acknowledgments

This research was partly funded by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) scholarship, Secretaria de Investigación y Posgrado-IPN Proyect Number. 20100788, Comisión de Operación y Fomento de Actividades Académicas del IPN (COFAA-IPN), and Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de Ayala y Prol. Carpio s/n, Col. Casco de Santo Tomás, C.P. 11340, México, D.F., Mexico

    María Elena Pahua-Ramos, Alicia Ortiz-Moreno & Marcela Hernández-Ortega

  2. Departamento de Farmacia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Wilfrido Massieu s/n, esq. Manuel L. Stampa, Col. Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738, México, D.F., Mexico

    Germán Chamorro-Cevallos & Leticia Garduño-Siciliano

  3. Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo Colón esq. Paseo Tollocan, Col. Residencial Colón, C.P. 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico

    María Dolores Hernández-Navarro

  4. Coordinación de Operación de Redes de Investigación, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Edificio Secretaría Académica. Av. Miguel Othón de Mendizábal s/n, Col. La Escalera, C.P. 07738, México, D.F., Mexico

    Hugo Necoechea-Mondragón

Authors
  1. María Elena Pahua-Ramos
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  2. Alicia Ortiz-Moreno
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  3. Germán Chamorro-Cevallos
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  4. María Dolores Hernández-Navarro
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  5. Leticia Garduño-Siciliano
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  6. Hugo Necoechea-Mondragón
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  7. Marcela Hernández-Ortega
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Correspondence to Alicia Ortiz-Moreno.

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Pahua-Ramos, M.E., Ortiz-Moreno, A., Chamorro-Cevallos, G. et al. Hypolipidemic Effect of Avocado (Persea americana Mill) Seed in a Hypercholesterolemic Mouse Model. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 67, 10–16 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-012-0280-6

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