Comparison of the Effects of Edible Oils: Rice Bran, Grape Seed, and Canola on Serum Lipid Profile and Paraoxonase Activity in Hyperlipidemic Rats

Background: Dyslipidemia is considered as one of the crucial contributors to cardio- cerebro-vascular diseases.

Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the effects of Rice Barn Oil (RBO), Grape Seed Oil (GSO), and Canola Oil (CO) on dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in experimentally induced hyperlipidemic rats.

Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study, forty hyperlipidemic male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups to receive RBO, GSO, or CO or Soy Bean Oil (SBO), as controls, for 4 weeks following a 3-week period of Atherogenic Diet (AD) intake. Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the study, after inducing dyslipidemia, and at the end of the experimental period. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software (v. 13.0) and analyzed using paired t-test, paired sample Wilcoxon signed rank test, and Kruskal-Wallis test.

Results: AD elevated lipid and/or lipoprotein profile and decreased the paraoxonase activity in the hyperlipidemic rats. The results of paired t-test revealed that RBO led to a significant improvement in serum lipoprotein profile and paraoxonase activity. Besides, a significant difference was found in the GSO group regarding all the measured parameters, except for paraoxonase activity. Moreover, CO diet showed a significant hypolipidemic effect on serum Triglyceride (TG) and Total Cholesterol (TC) and led to a slight improvement in Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (LDL-C) and High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C).

Conclusions: The results of the present study suggested that vegetable oils, including RBO, GSO, and CO, might improve dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in hyperlipidemic rats. Indeed, substituting saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids in rats’ diet had beneficial effects on serum lipid profile and oxidative stress. Comparison of the 3 edible oils showed that GSO had a more profound effect on decreasing hyperlipidemia.