Effect of melatonin on cholesterol absorption in rats

Hussain SA. Effect of melatonin on cholesterol absorption in rats. J Pineal Res. 2007 Apr;42(3):267-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-079X.2006.00415.x. PMID: 17349025.

Abstract: This study evaluated the influence of melatonin on cholesterol absorption in rats fed a high cholesterol diet (HCD). HCD induced a remarkable increase in hepatic and plasma total cholesterol, plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a decrease in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and an elevation in triacylglyceride (TG) levels in plasma and in the liver. Melatonin suspension (10 mg/kg), specially prepared for this purpose, cholestyramine (230 mg/kg) and ezetimibe (145 lg/kg) were administered orally to the rats fed HCD for 30 days. Melatonin significantly reduced cholesterol absorption in rats fed on HCD and caused significant decreases in total cholesterol, TG, VLDL and LDL-cholesterol in the plasma and contents of cholesterol and TG in the
liver. The level of HDL cholesterol was significantly increased after melatonin. These results suggested that inhibition of cholesterol absorption caused by melatonin could be a mechanism contributing to the positive changes in plasma cholesterol, lipoprotein profile and lipid contents in the liver.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17349025/#:~:text=DOI%3A-,10.1111/j.1600%2D079X.2006.00415.x,-Abstract

Professor Saad Abdulrahman Hussain

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