Samira Nozari
1,2,3, Nazila Fathi Maroufi
4, Mohammad Nouri
1,3*, Mirhamid Paytakhti Oskouei
4, Javad Shiralizade
5, Farshid Yekani
6, Mina Mamipour
1, Yousef Faridvand
1,3,7,8*1 Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2 Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute (SCARM), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
4 Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Laboratories, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
5 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, Payam-e-Noor University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
6 Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
7 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
8 Cardiovascular Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Lipid metabolism disorder or hyperlipidemia is known as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the increase in serum homocysteine and leptin are associated with atherosclerotic disease. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) on serum homocysteine (Hcy), apolipoproteinA-I (ApoA-I) and B (ApoB), leptin and lipid profile changes in high-cholesterol-diet (HCD) fed rats. Methods: The Healthy Adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats were randomly assigned into three experimental groups. Each group consisted of eleven male rats including control group, HCD rats and hypercholesterolemic rats, which were treated with bLF (HCD+bLF). bLF was given by gavage (200 mg/kg/d). After 4 weeks of feeding and overnight fasting, total blood samples were collected.
Results: The results showed the elevated level of Hcy, leptin, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), ApoB and decrease in ApoA-I in non-treated HCD group compared to the control rats. Administration of bLF significantly ameliorated the Hcy and leptin levels with decrease in LDL-C and total cholesterol in rats fed with a high-cholesterol diet. bLF also tended to increase low serum concentration of ApoA-I and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in HCD rats. Meanwhile, upon bLF-treated rats, there was a significant decrease in ApoB in HCD group.
Conclusion: The findings indicated that bLF can improve the alteration of serum Hcy, leptin, apolipproteins and lipid changes in male rats fed with high-cholesterol diet. So, bLF can counteract with HCD elicited hyper-homocysteinemia and hyper-leptinemia, suggesting it to have the useful therapeutic potential in patients with atherosclerosis and lipid disorder.