ALTERATION OF LIPID PROFILE IN HYPERLIPIDEMIC RABBITS BY ALLICIN, AN ACTIVE CONSTITUENT OF GARLIC

Background: The effect of garlic on the serum lipid profile has been t he subject of controversy. This study was therefore designed to examin e the effects of allicin, an active constituent of garlic, on the lipi d profile in a rabbit model. Methods: Allicin was produced by reacting alliin, synthesized in our laboratory, with purified alliinase. Ninet een New Zealand White rabbits were fed a cholesterol-rich diet (0.25% cholesterol) for 18 weeks. Ten rabbits received freshly produced allic in (3 mg/kg orally) starting at 8 weeks, and nine received placebo. Th ere was no significant difference between the lipid profiles of the tw o groups at baseline up to 8 weeks. Results: From day 28 of allicin su pplementation a significant difference was found between the allicin a nd placebo groups in the graph regression lines describing the influen ce of allicin on serum cholesterol: Y=41.39 + 8.69 multiplied by day ( control) versus Y=-877.24 + 17.67 multiplied by day (allicin). The sam e trend was found for low-density lipoprotein concentrations: Y = 10.3 + 8.4 multiplied by day (control) versus Y = -750.4 + 15.7 multiplied by day (allicin). The serum high-density lipoprotein levels also diff ered significantly between the groups: Y = 20.29 + 0.24 multiplied by day (control) versus Y = -109.9 + 1.65 multiplied by day (allicin). Co nclusions: Our results indicate that allicin has a beneficial effect o n the serum lipid profile in hyperlipidemic rabbits, and should be fur ther tested clinically.