Antioxidant and hypolipidaemic effects of a novel yam–boxthorn noodle in an in vivo murine model

Yam–boxthorn noodle, a newly developed functional noodle, was prepared by mixing wheat flour, yam and boxthorn for the purpose of lowering serum cholesterol and oxidation status in vivo. To determine whether yam–boxthorn noodle exhibits hypolipidaemic and antioxidant effects in vivo, we examined the changes in triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) serum and oxidation levels in the serum and visceral organs of BALB/c females after continuously consuming the test diets for 5 weeks. The TG, TC, TG/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C serum levels in the experimental group decreased in a dose-dependent manner when the yam–boxthorn noodle concentration in the AIN 76 diet rose from 3 to 30%. However, the HDL-C and LDL-C serum levels did not significantly change. The TBARS oxidation index of the heart, liver and kidney significantly decreased compared with that of control group. The increase in tissue antioxidant capacity varied in magnitude: heart > liver > kidney. The total antioxidant status in the serum significantly increased in the 3% yam–boxthorn noodle diet experimental group. These experiments demonstrate that the functional noodle, yam–boxthorn noodle, exhibits hypolipidaemic and antioxidant effects in an in vivo murine model. Further, these results suggest that the functional ingredients in the yam and boxthorn, traditionally used as medicinal plants and functional foods, present greater health benefits than that of traditional noodles. These results will be important and useful for the future exploitation of traditional materials to develop a novel functional food for safeguarding health of hyperlipidaemia patients.