[Antihyperlipidemic effect of iodine egg: Search for the screening method and active ingredients]

A screening method for the hypolipidemic effect of iodine egg and its active fractions have been investigated with Wistar strain male rats fed on a cholesterol-rich diet. The animals were kept on the cholesterol-rich diet for 5 days, and then iodine egg was fed to them in addition to the above diet for 10 more days. The present method was the most adequate for screening the hypolipidemic effect. Iodine egg yolk was fractionated into the following 3 fractions by Folch's method: Protein ( IEY -P), water-soluble ( IEY -A) and lipid ( IEY -L) fractions. The hypolipidemic effect of these fractions was determined with the screening method. The marked hypolipidemic effect was induced by the IEY -L fraction. The serum total cholesterol level in rats that received the fraction was 57% as compared with that of the ch group (fed on the cholesterol-rich diet). The other groups showed no such effect. Serum thyroid hormone levels were not affected by the IEY -L fraction which was found to be the active hypolipidemic fraction of iodine egg. The thyroid gland did not seem to participate directly in such a hypolipidemic effect.