Dietary Saponin, a Factor Which May Reduce Liver and Serum Cholesterol Levels

SERUM or liver cholesterol levels have been reported to be reduced by feeding high percentages of lipotropic agents (Okey et al., 1954; Gadea, 1952) by excluding dietary fat (Swell et al., 1955) or by the feeding of phytosterols (Peterson et al., 1952; Alfin-Slater et al., 1954). Some investigators have noted a slight to moderate decrease (Barber et al., 1955; Best et al., 1954; Joyner et al., 1954) and others have found no effect (Friedman et al., 1955; Wilkinson et al., 1955) in the plasma cholesterol after ingestion of sitosterols. It has been suggested (Friedman et al., 1956) that the latter may even initiate atherosclerosis. It is well known that saponins complex cholesterol (Schoenheimer et al., 1934) and it has been shown that the saponin initiated hemolysis of blood was inhibited by cholesterol in vitro (Solé, 1954). Cholesterol has also been used as a means of purifying saponin; for example, alfalfa . . .