Properties of nanopowdered chitosan and its cholesterol lowering effect in rats

This study was carried out to compare the properties of nanopowdered chitosan (NPC) to commercially powdered chitosan (CPC) and examine the effect of NPC on serum and liver cholesterol lowering in rats. Twentyfour male rats of Sprague-Dawley strain were blocked into 3 groups and were raised for 8 weeks. High cholesterol diet, 2% CPC, or 2% NPC were given to 3 groups. NPC reduced total cholesterol by 46.6% and CPC reduced it by 18.6%. NPC also significantly reduced low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol by 55.7%, while CPC reduced by 36.8%. High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol content was increased more with NPC by 16.5% than with CPC by 9.6%. Triacylglycerol content was also decreased significantly by 42.8% with NPC, while reduced by 22.5% with CPC. The present study indicated that NPC feeding reduced total and LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol contents and increased HDL-cholesterol content.