Hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties of a polysaccharide fraction from Enteromorpha prolifera

A polysaccharide fraction (EPF2) was obtained from the crude polysaccharides of Enteromorpha prolifera by a series isolation procedure. Monosaccharide components analysis indicated that EPF2 was composed of rhamnose, xylose, mannose, galactose and glucose in a molar ratio of 3.64:1.08:0.21:0.75:0.27. Hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties of EPF2 were investigated. The results showed that the hypolipidemic effect of EPF2 was in a concentration-dependent fashion and the prior oral administration of EPF2 (300 mg/kg body weight) exhibited considerable effect which could bear comparison with that of simvastatin. Moreover, administration of EPF2 could significantly enhance the activities of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and lowered the content of maleic dialdehyde (MDA) in serum. The results suggested that EPF2 had a high hypolipidemic activity and this activity might be attributed to its antioxidant potential.