The Effect of Kersen Juice on Lipid Profile of Spargue Dawley Rats: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Objective: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that has been linked to cholesterol metabolism and itʼs ability to reduce level of cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL) in patients with hyperlipidemia.Kersen is a fruit that is easily found in Indonesia but fail to utilize it fully.Kersen is rich in vitamin C and contains flavonoids, phenols, niacin and beta-carotene which act as antioxidant agents.The aim of this study was to analyze the beneficial effects of kersen juice on lipid profile of Spargue Dawley rats. Materials and Methods:This study use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) method.Twenty five adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups.The first two groups were controls: i).Group 1 = no high fat diet (HFD) without kersen juice, ii).Group 2 = HFD without kersen juice.The three treatment groups are: i).Group 3 = HFD+0.9mL/200 g body weight (BW) of kersen juice, ii) Group 4 = HFD+1.8mL/200 g BW of kersen juice and iii) Group 5 = HFD+3.6mL/200 g BW.All groups were treated for 2 weeks.Blood was drawn to examine the lipid profile before and after treatment was given.Mann-Whitney test was performed to determine the significant differences p<0.05 between groups.Results: The increased level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) was significantly different (p<0.05) with the treatment given.No differences were found between groups of treatment on the level of cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL respectively p>0.116, p>0.383 and p>0.052.Conclusion: It was concluded that the administration of kersen juice can significantly increase HDL up to 2.68 mg dLG 1 but not significantly change the total cholesterol, tryglicerids and LDL in rats with HFD in this study.