Effect of Tilapia sparrmanii (Tilapia) and Scomber scombrus (Mackerel) oil on the lipid profile, behavior and oxidative stress parameters of wistar rats fed with hyperlipidemic diet Evaluation of chemical and biological quality of <i>Tilapia sparrmanii</i> (Tilapia) and <i>Scomber scombrus</i> (Mackerel) oils

Abstract

Hyperlipidemia is a condition in which the concentration of lipids in blood is higher than normal due to a high fat diet. Statins being drugs of choice for treatment may cause adverse effects in some patients such as muscle pain. The aim of this study was to determine the therapeutic benefit of two fish oils (Tilapia oil and mackerel oil) as potential preventive medicine on hyperlipidemia induced in rats and to determine their antioxidant potentials. Physicochemical analysis of the Tilapia sparrmanii (Tilapia) oil and Scomber scombrus (Mackerel) oil revealed that % free fatty acids ranged from 0.98-0.87%, iodine value was high and ranged from 118.41 to 134.64g I₂.100g, peroxide value from 7.94 to 4.46meq/kg oil, P-anisidine Value from 18.57 to 12.58 and Totox value from 34.45 to 21.50 respectively. For in-vivo studies of the health benefit of the oils, male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided in to seven groups of 5 animals each. Each group was fed differently as follows: normal rat diet, negative control (hyperlipidemic diet), positive control (atorvastatin drug), experimental groups fed with fish oils and a combination of fish oil and drug, fed for 28days. Body weight measurement and behavioral testing were done weekly. Animals were then sacrificed for lipid profiling and determination of antioxidant properties. Body weight increased generally in all the groups with the positive control and the experimental groups increasing least and the negative control increasing most. Both tilapia and mackerel fish oils decreased total cholesterol (mg/dL) respectively from 46.58 to 31.9 and 32.9, triglycerides (11.29 to 5.42 and 4.37), low density lipoprotein (19.8 to 7.05 and 12.65) significantly (p<0.05) and increased high density lipoprotein (7.15 to 14.96 and 15.53) with only mackerel showing a significant increase (p<0.05), at 95% confidence interval. Both tilapia and mackerel fish oils also showed a similar effect respectively in reducing malondialdehyde (1.25 to 0.54 and 0.63 µM) and nitric oxide (3.75 to 2.41 and 2.84 µM) while increasing glutathione (10.76 to 12.08 to 11.26 µM) significantly (p<0.05) in the liver. Thus, from the mean results, both fish oils demonstrate antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant potentials.