Anti-obesity and lipid lowering effects of Cymodocea nodosa sulphated polysaccharide on high cholesterol-fed-rats.

This study aims to evaluate for the first time the effects of Cymodocea nodosa sulphated polysaccharide (CNSP) on lipase activity in vitro and in vivo to high fat diet (HFD)-rats on body weight, lipid profile and liver-kidney functions. The administration of CNSP decreases the body weight and inhibits lipase activity of obese rats in serum and intestine as compared with untreated HDF-rats. This decrease in lipase activity leads to lipid regulation shown by the decrease of total cholesterol (T-Ch), triglycerides (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and an increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in HFD-rats. Additionally, CNSP administration to HFD-rats induces anti-oxidant activity observed by the increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities and the decrease in Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels and protects liver-kidney functions proven by a decrease in the levels of toxicity parameters in blood.