Author(s)

Fayez Hamam^1*, Mayyas Al-Remawi², Abdel Rahman Nasr¹

¹Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif, KSA.
²Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif, KSA.

This study aimed to produce new generation of fats or oils, known as specialty lipids, from enzymatic reaction of fish oil rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, serving as a source of essential fatty acids, and a medium-chain fatty acid (Capric acid, C10:0), for rapid energy release, using self-designed bioreactor. The beneficial aspects of the resultant specialty lipids (SL) on blood lipid chemistry were evaluated using animal models. Serum lipids were analyzed for lipid profile. Animals in the three treatments: Group 1 fed with corn oil, Group 2 fed with a physical blend (PB) of fish oil (FO) and capric acid (CA); and Group 3 fed with specialty lipids (SL) showed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the level of triacylglycerols (TAG) after 60 days compared to day zero, but the highest decrease was noted for the corn oil (CO) fed animals. Analysis of differences among groups showed that a significant (p < 0.05) difference was noted between treatment groups (2 and 3) and the reference group. The level of total cholesterol (TC) was considerably (p < 0.05) increased in animals fed with corn oil, whereas the PB and SL had no effect on TC. Blood lipid analysis for Group 1 (fed with corn oil) and Group 3 (fed with SL) showed significant increase (p < 0.05) in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c). Meantime, animals in Group 2 showed insignificant increase (p > 0.05) in HDL-c level after 60 days of treatment. Although SL caused an increase in HDL-c level but lower than CO. Animals in CO group showed insignificant increase (p > 0.05) in the level of LDL-c, whereas SL did not cause any change in LDL-c level. On the other hand, the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) is considerably (p < 0.05) decreased in animals fed with PB. Results showed that the difference between PB and SL animals was insignificant (p > 0.05) concerning TAG, TC, and LDL-c levels, but the only difference between these two groups was in the HDL-c level. The weight of animals was increasing with time in animals fed CO, while it was decreasing with time for animals fed PB and SL. The difference in percent body change between SL and CO was significant (p < 0.05) after 8 weeks of treatment.

Specialty Lipids, Animal Study, Packed Bed Bioreactor, Serum Lipid Profile

Hamam, F. , Al-Remawi, M. and Nasr, A. (2015) Evaluation of Specialty Lipids Based on Fish Oil and Capric Acid on Blood Lipid Chemistry Using Animal Models. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 6, 314-325. doi: 10.4236/fns.2015.63031.