薬理と治療

Abstract

Background　Sesame lignan and vitamin E（VE）are known to have protect lipids from oxidative stress. Objective　This study aimed to evaluate whether sesame lignan（10 mg sesamin/episesamin） and low dose VE（55 mg α-tocopherol）（SVEX） supplementation alleviates the oxidative susceptibility of LDL and erythrocyte membranes in healthy middle-aged and elderly people. Methods and Study design Fifty-seven subjects（aged 40-69 years, 26 men and 31 women） received either SVEX or placebo for 4 weeks. LDL oxidation lag time and the accumulation of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances（TBARS）in erythrocytes were measured upon oxidation. Results　LDL oxidation lag time increased and TBARS in erythrocytes decreased in the SVEX group compared with those in the placebo group. The results from in vitro studies of VE-treated LDL suggested that the prolongation of LDL oxidation lag time by SVEX could not be explained only by VE intake. Conclusion　Our study indicates that SVEX supplementation may be an effective approach to protect middle-aged and elderly people from excess oxidative stress.