Skip to main content
Journal of Food Science and Technology logoLink to Journal of Food Science and Technology
. 2010 Feb 6;47(1):55–60. doi: 10.1007/s13197-010-0015-3

Hypolipidemic and antioxidant efficacy of dehydrated onion in experimental rats

H G Vidyavati 1, H Manjunatha 1, J Hemavathy 1, K Srinivasan 1,
PMCID: PMC3550985  PMID: 23572601

Abstract

Hypolipidemic and antioxidant potency of a dehydrated onion product was evaluated in experimental rats maintained for 6 weeks at 5 and 10% dietary levels. Serum cholesterol especially low-density lipoprotein was significantly reduced by dietary dehydrated onion in hypercholesterolemic rats. This was associated with an increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Blood triglyceride concentration in hypercholesterolemic rats was lower in onion supplemented diet group. Glutathione, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol in the blood of hypercholesterolemic rats were higher in onion treatment, while lipid peroxides were lower. Hepatic α-tocopherol concentration was higher in rats maintained on onion diets, while lipid peroxides were reduced. Thus, this study has proved significant cholesterol lowering and antioxidant effect of dehydrated onion product.

Keywords: Dehydrated onion, Lipid profile, Hypolipidemic effect, Antioxidants

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (528.6 KB).

References

  1. Adamu I., Joseph P.K., Augusti K.T. Hypolipidemic action of onion and garlic unsaturated oils in sucrose fed rats over two month period. Experientia. 1982;38:899–901. doi: 10.1007/BF01953641. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Augusti K.T., Mathew P.T. Effect of long-term feeding of aqueous extracts of onion (Allium cepa) and garlic (Allium sativum) on normal rats. Indian J Exp Biol. 1973;11:239–241. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Babu P.S., Srinivasan K. Influence of dietary capsaicin and onion on the metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes mellitus. Mol Cell Biochem. 1997;175:49–57. doi: 10.1023/A:1006881027166. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Babu P.S., Srinivasan K. Renal lesions in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats maintained on onion and capsaicin containing diets. J Nutr Biochem. 1999;10:477–483. doi: 10.1016/S0955-2863(99)00031-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bakhsh R., Chugtai M.I.D. Comparative study of onion and garlic on serum cholesterol, liver cholesterol, prothrombin time and faecal sterol excretion in male albino rats. J Chem Soc (Pakistan) 1985;7:285–288. [Google Scholar]
  6. Beutler E., Duron O., Kelly B.M. Improved method for the determination of blood glutathione. J Lab Clin Med. 1963;61:882–888. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Bhushan S., Verma S., Bhatnagar V.M., Singh J.B. A study of the hypocholesterolemic effect of onion (Allium cepa) on normal human beings. Indian Med Gaz. 1977;16:378–379. [Google Scholar]
  8. Bordia A., Bansal H.C., Khabya B.L., Arora S.K., Singh S.V. Effect of essential oil of onion on alimentary lipemia. Indian Heart J. 1974;26:29–31. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Bordia A., Arora S.K., Kothari L.K. The protective action of essential oils of onion and garlic (allylpropyl disulfide and diallyldisulphide) in experimental atherosclerosis and its comparison with clofibrate. Artery. 1975;1:189–194. [Google Scholar]
  10. Stewart C.J.M. Colorimetric determination of phospholipids with ammonium ferrothiocyanate. Anal Biochem. 1980;104:10–14. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(80)90269-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fenwick G.R., Hanley A.B. The genus Allium — Part-3. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 1985;23:1–73. doi: 10.1080/10408398509527419. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fletcher M.J. A colorimetric method for estimating serum triglycerides. Clin Chim Acta. 1968;22:393–397. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(68)90041-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Folch J., Lees M., Sloane-Stanley G.H. A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipids from animal tissues. J Biol Chem. 1957;226:497–509. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jain R.C., Andleigh H.S. Onion and blood fibrinolytic activity. Br Med J. 1969;258:514–515. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5642.514-b. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  15. Jain R.C. Effect of onion on serum cholesterol, lipoprotein and fibrinolytic activity of blood in alimentary lipemia. J Assoc Physician (India) 1971;19:305–310. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Jain R.C. Onion and garlic and experimental cholesterol induced atherosclerosis. Indian J Med Res. 1976;64:1509–1515. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kumari K., Augusti K.T. Antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide isolated from onions (Allium cepa Linn) as compared to standard drugs in alloxan diabetic rats. Indian J Exp Biol. 2002;40:1005–1009. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ohkawa H., Ohishi N., Yagi K. Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissue by thiobarbituric acid reaction. Anal Biochem. 1979;95:351–358. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(79)90738-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Omaye S.T., Turnbull J.D., Sauberlich H.E. Selected methods for the determination of ascorbic acid in animal cells, Tissues and Fluids. Meth Enzymol. 1973;62:3–11. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(79)62181-X. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. O’Reilly J.D., Sanders T.A., Wiseman H. Flavonoids protect against oxidative damage to LDL in vitro: use in selection of a flavonoid rich diet and relevance to LDL oxidation resistance ex vivo? Free Radic Res. 2000;33:419–426. doi: 10.1080/10715760000300951. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sainani G.S., Desai D.B., Katrodia K.M., Valame V.P., Sainani P.G. Onion, garlic and experimental atherosclerosis. Japan Heart J. 1979;20:351–355. doi: 10.1536/ihj.20.351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sainani G.S., Desai D.B., Gorhe N.H. Effect of dietary garlic and onion on serum lipid profile in Jain community. Indian J Med Res. 1979;69:776–777. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Searcy R.L., Bergquist L.M. A new color reaction for the quantitation of serum cholesterol. Clin Chim Acta. 1960;5:192–197. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(60)90035-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sebastian K.L., Zacharias N.T., Philip B., Augusti K.T. The hypolipidemic effect of onion (Allium cepa) in sucrose fed rabbits. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1979;23:27–30. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sedlak J., Lindsay R.H. Estimation of total, protein bound and nonprotein sulfhydryl groups in tissues with Ellman’s reagent. Anal Biochem. 1968;25:192–205. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(68)90092-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Sharma K.K., Choudhury N.K., Sharma A.L. Studies on hypocholesterolemic activity of onion — Effect on serum cholesterol in rabbits maintained on high cholesterol diet. Indian J Nutr Dietet. 1975;12:388–391. [Google Scholar]
  27. Sharma K.K., Choudhury N.K., Sharma A.L. Long term effect of onion on experimentally induced hypercholesterolemia and consequently decreased fibrinolytic activity in rabbits. Indian J Med Res. 1975;63:1629–1634. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Sharma K.K., Choudhury N.K., Sharma A.L., Misra M.B. Studies on hypo-cholesterolemic activity of onion: Effect on serum cholesterol in alimentary lipemia in man. Indian J Nutr Dietet. 1975;12:288–291. [Google Scholar]
  29. Sharma K.K., Sharma S.P. Effect of onion and garlic on serum cholesterol in normal subjects. Mediscope. 1979;22:134–135. [Google Scholar]
  30. Shon M.Y., Choi S.D., Kahng G.G., Nam S.H., Sung N.J. Antimutagenic, antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity of ethyl acetate extracts from white, yellow and red onions. Food Chem Toxicol. 2004;42:659–666. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2003.12.002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Singh M., Kanakaraj P. Hypocholesterolemic effect of onion extract on cholesterol enriched erythrocytes. Indian J Exp Biol. 1984;23:456–459. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Snedecor G.W., Cochran W.G. Statistical methods. 6th edn. Ames, USA: Iowa State Univ Press; 1976. p. 298. [Google Scholar]
  33. Srinivasan K., Sambaiah K., Chandrasekhara N. Spices as beneficial hypolipidemic food adjuncts: A Review. Food Rev Int. 2004;20:187–220. doi: 10.1081/FRI-120037160. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  34. Vatsala T.M., Singh M. Relationship between plasma cholesterol level and erythrocytes shape in rabbits on atherogenic diet and onion extracts. Cur Sci. 1981;50:211–213. [Google Scholar]
  35. Vatsala T.M., Singh M. Effects of onion in induced atherogenesis in rabbits: II. Reduction of lipid levels in the eye. Cur Sci. 1982;51:230–232. [Google Scholar]
  36. Warnick G.R., Albers J.J. A comprehensive evaluation of heparin-manganese procedure for estimating HDL-cholesterol. J Lipid Res. 1978;19:65–76. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Wilcox R.F., Joseph P.K., Augusti K.T. Effects of allylpropyl disulfide from Allium cepa Linn on high-fat diets. Indian J Biochem Biophys. 1984;21:214–216. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Yagi K. Assay of lipid peroxides in blood plasma or serum. Meth Enzymol. 1984;105:328–331. doi: 10.1016/S0076-6879(84)05042-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Yamamoto Y., Aoyama S., Hamaguchi N., Rhi G.S. Antioxidative and antihypertensive effects of Welsh onion on rats fed with a high-fat high-sucrose diet. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005;69:1311–1317. doi: 10.1271/bbb.69.1311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Zaspel B.J., Csallany A.S. Determination of α-tocopherol in tissues and plasma by HPLC. Anal Biochem. 1983;130:146–150. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(83)90661-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of food science and technology are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES