BACKGROUND

Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L. subsp. ma-yuen (Romanet) T. Koyama (family Poaceae)) seed has been used as a dietary supplement for its therapeutic effects for thousands of years. This study was designed to investigate the effects of adlay seed oil, obtained by supercritical CO₂ extraction, on blood lipids and antioxidant capacity in hyperlipidemic rats.

RESULTS

Adlay seed oil could reduce the abdominal fat tissue and low-density lipoprotein concentration, and increase the total antioxidant capacity in hyperlipidemic rats. Adlay seed oil also significantly decreased the malondialdehyde content in serum, and increased serum total superoxide dismutase activity in hyperlipidemic rats. Therefore, the antioxidant mechanism might be related to the scavenging effects of adlay seed oil on reactive oxidative species, especially on the superoxide anion free radical.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that adlay seed oil had blood lipid-reducing and antioxidant effects, and could be used as a supplement in healthcare food and drugs for the prevention of chronic diseases (especially artherosclerosis and coronary artery disease).