Lime (<i>Citrus aurantifolia</i> (Christm.) Swingle) Essential Oils: Volatile Compounds, Antioxidant Capacity, and Hypolipidemic Effect

oleh: Li-Yun Lin, Cheng-Hung Chuang, Hsin-Chun Chen, Kai-Min Yang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2019-09-01

Deskripsi

Lime peels are mainly obtained from the byproducts of the juice manufacturing industry, which we obtained and used to extract essential oil (2.3%) in order to examine the antioxidant and hypolipidaemic effects. We identified 60 volatile compounds of lime essential oil (LEO) with GC/MS, of which the predominant constituents were limonene, &#947;-terpinene, and &#946;-pinene. Lime essential oil was measured according to the DPPH assay and ABTS assay, with IC<sub>50</sub> values of 2.36 mg/mL and 0.26 mg/mL, respectively. This study also explored the protective effects of LEO against lipid-induced hyperlipidemia in a rat model. Two groups of rats received oral LEO in doses of 0.74 g/100 g and 2.23 g/100 g with their diets. Eight weeks later, we found that the administration of LEO improved the serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate transaminase levels in the hyperlipidemic rats (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Simultaneously, the LEO improved the health of the rats in terms of obesity, atherogenic index, and fatty liver.