Preventive effect of Spirulina maxima on the fatty liver induced by a fructose-rich diet in the rat, a preliminary report.
Gonzalez de Rivera C, Miranda-Zamora R, Diaz-Zagoya JC, Juarez-Oropeza MA.
Departamento de Bioquimica, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico, D.F.
Cyanobacteria Spirulina maxima from Texcoco Lake in Mexico was administered as a 5% component of a purified diet, to Wistar rats together with a high percentage of fructose (60%) and its effect on several lipid fractions of plasma and liver was studied and compared to those of rats fed purified diets containing 60% of glucose or 60% of fructose. A preventive effect of Spirulina maxima on the fructose-induced increase of the liver triglycerides level was observed together with an elevation of the phospholipid concentration in this tissue. On the other hand Spirulina maxima produced a plasma cholesterol level even lower than that observed in the control group.
PUB: Life Sci. 1993;53(1):57-61.
Hepatoprotective effect of C-phycocyanin: protection for carbon tetrachloride and R-(+)-pulegone-mediated hepatotoxicty in rats.
Vadiraja BB, Gaikwad NW, Madyastha KM.
Department of Organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
Effect of C-phycocyanin (from Spirulina platensis) pretreatment on carbontetrachloride and R-(+)-pulegone-induced hepatotoxicity in rats was studied. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration (200 mg/kg) of a single dose of phycocyanin to rats, one or three hours prior to R-(+)-pulegone (250 mg/kg) or carbontetrachloride (0.6 ml/kg) challenge, significantly reduced the hepatotoxicity caused by these chemicals. For instance, serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) activity was almost equal to control values. The losses of microsomal cytochrome P450, glucose-6-phosphatase and aminopyrine-N-demethylase were significantly reduced, suggesting that phycocyanin provides protection to liver enzymes. It was noticed that the level of menthofuran, the proximate toxin of R-(+)-pulegone was nearly 70% more in the urine samples collected from rats treated with R-(+)-pulegone alone than rats treated with the combination of phycocyanin and R-(+)-pulegone. The possible mechanism involved in the hepatoprotection is discussed. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.
PUB: Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1998 Aug 19;249(2):428-31.
Studies on the preventive effect of Spirulina maxima on fatty liver development induced by carbon tetrachloride, in the rat.
Torres-Duran PV, Miranda-Zamora R, Paredes-Carbajal MC, Mascher D, Ble-Castillo J, Diaz-Zagoya JC, Juarez-Oropeza MA.
Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico D.F., Mexico.
The aim of the present work was to assess if the feeding of either the oil extract of Spirulina maxima or of its defatted fraction would prevent fatty liver development, induced in rats by a single intraperitoneal dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Liver and serum lipids were evaluated 4 days after treatment with this agent. Concentration of liver lipids did not differ in rats fed on a purified diet either without or with one of the fractions of Spirulina, except for total cholesterol, which showed a slight increase in the group receiving the oil extract of Spirulina. However, after CCl4 treatment, liver total lipids and triacylglycerols were significantly lower in rats fed on a diet containing any fraction of Spirulina (defatted or the oil fraction) than in rats without Spirulina in their diet. Furthermore, the increased liver cholesterol values, induced by CCl4 treatment, were not observed in rats receiving Spirulina. In addition, rats receiving whole Spirulina in their diet and treated only with the vehicle showed an increase in the percentage of HDL values. The changes in VLDL and LDL induced by CCl4 treatment were not observed in the whole Spirulina group. Furthermore, after CCl4 treatment the values of the liver microsomal thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances were lower in the whole Spirulina group than in the control group. These results support the potential hepatoprotective role of Spirulina.
PUB: J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Feb;64(2):141-7.
