Application of licorice seed oil in reducing blood fat

Abstract

The invention provides a novel application of licorice seed oil in blood fat reduction. A blood fat reducing activity test on the liquorice seed oil shows that the liquorice seed oil has a certain clearing effect on total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood fat of a hyperlipidemia model mouse. Therefore, the liquorice seed oil can be used for preparing medicines or functional products for reducing blood fat.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of medicine, and particularly relates to application of liquorice seed oil in lowering blood lipids. Background Art

[0002] Hyperlipidemia is a common and highly prevalent condition in modern life. Primarily caused by dyslipidemia, it is increasingly affecting younger people. This is primarily due to the accelerated pace of modern life, unhealthy lifestyles, irregular diets, excessive intake of high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sugar foods, and lack of exercise. Long-term hyperlipidemia can damage liver function, leading to conditions such as fatty liver and hepatic arteriosclerosis. It can also cause coronary artery plaque formation, the accumulation of lipoproteins, which reduces blood flow and damages the vascular endothelium, leading to vascular sclerosis. It can also lead to hypertension, diabetes, polydipsia, and other serious side effects.

[0003] Current clinically used lipid-lowering drugs can have side effects on organs such as the liver and kidneys if used long-term. These side effects are particularly pronounced in elderly individuals with slow metabolism. Therefore, discovering lipid-lowering ingredients from medicinal and edible species and developing them into functional foods with complementary lipid-lowering properties has become a growing trend.

[0004] Licorice, a plant from the Leguminosae family, is a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history of clinical use. It is listed in both the food and medicine catalogs. It has the benefits of tonifying the spleen and replenishing qi, clearing away heat and detoxifying, moistening the lungs and relieving coughs, relieving pain, and harmonizing various other medicinal properties. Ancient physicians called licorice "national elder," while Japanese physicians called it "Eastern medicine," earning it the reputation of "nine herbs out of ten."

[0005] Licorice's medicinal parts, its roots and rhizomes, possess a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-tumor, antioxidant, and lipid-lowering properties. While scientists have conducted extensive research on the chemical composition and pharmacological activities of licorice, little has been done on its other parts. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a new drug for lowering blood lipids. Specifically, the drug is licorice seed oil (an edible drug), that is, the present invention provides the use of licorice seed oil in lowering blood lipids.

[0007] The present invention first provides use of liquorice seed oil in preparing a drug for lowering blood lipids or a functional product for lowering blood lipids.

[0008] The present invention also provides use of licorice seed oil in preparing a medicine for preventing and / or treating hyperlipidemia.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, diseases caused by hyperlipidemia include at least one of the following: digestive system diseases (such as fatty liver, pancreatitis), cardiovascular diseases (such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease), kidney diseases, eye diseases, diabetes, and hypertension.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the licorice seed oil is edible. Specifically, the licorice seed oil meets the national standards for edible oils and fats.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the licorice seed oil is prepared by a preparation method comprising the following steps:

[0012] (1) crushing licorice seeds to obtain licorice seed powder;

[0013] (2) extracting the licorice seed powder prepared in step (1) with an organic solvent using Soxhlet, collecting the extract, and concentrating the extract under reduced pressure to obtain a crude oil;

[0014] (3) refining the crude oil prepared in step (2) to obtain liquorice seed oil.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the particle size of the licorice seed powder in step (1) can be 20 to 70 meshes, preferably 30 to 60 meshes.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in step (2), the extraction is performed according to a mass volume ratio of 50 to 200 g of licorice seed powder and 500 to 1000 mL of organic solvent.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in step (2), the Soxhlet extraction is performed at least once. Specifically, the temperature of a single Soxhlet extraction is 30 to 80° C., and the time is 30 to 120 minutes.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the organic solvent in step (2) is selected from at least one of petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, n-pentane, n-hexane, etc., preferably n-hexane.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the refining in step (3) is to separate and purify the crude oil by a column, wherein the column is a glass column, the filler can be silica gel and / or alumina, preferably neutral alumina; the mesh size is 80-200 mesh, preferably 100 mesh.

[0020] Preferably, in step (3), the amount of neutral alumina used is 30-100 g, preferably 50 g; the inner diameter of the glass column is 10-20 mm, preferably 15 mm; and the filling height is 5-10 cm, preferably 8 cm.

[0021] Preferably, the column packing method in step (3) includes: dry loading; the loading amount of crude licorice seed oil is 3-8 mL, preferably 5 mL; the amount of n-hexane is 100-500 mL, preferably 200 mL; the n-hexane flow rate is 1-2 mL / min, preferably 1 mL / min.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention: the licorice seed oil satisfies at least one of the following parameters:

[0023] Acid value: 0.066±0.003mg / g;

[0024] Peroxide value: 7.267±0.033g / 100g;

[0025] Iodine value: 37.231±0.016g / 100g;

[0026] Saponification value is: 186.823±1.818g / 100g.

[0027] Preferably, the licorice seed oil satisfies the numerical ranges of the above four parameters simultaneously.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present invention: the licorice seed oil contains the following trace elements required by the human body: V 0.025μg / g, Cr 0.299μg / g, Mn 0.369μg / g, Fe 5.520μg / g, Co0.025μg / g, Ni 0.191μg / g, Cu 0.316μg / g, Zn 6.434μg / g, As 0.024μg / g, Se0.012μg / g, Mo 0.015μg / g.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the content of linoleic acid in the liquorice seed oil is ≥43%, for example ≥50% or ≥55%.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the total flavonoid content in the licorice seed oil is at least 2.2 mg / g, such as at least 2.3 mg / g, and for example at least 2.4 mg / g, illustratively 2.41 mg / g.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the licorice seed oil has a certain clearing effect on total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood lipids.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the drug may be a solid oral preparation or an injectable preparation.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the solid oral preparation may be a capsule, a tablet, a granule, a sustained-release preparation, or the like.

[0034] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the injection preparation can be a small needle injection or a freeze-dried injection.

[0035] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the medicine or functional product further comprises one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients; specifically, the excipients comprise one or a mixture of fillers, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, flavoring agents, enteric coatings or sustained-release materials.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the filler includes one or a mixture of lactose, sucrose, dextrin, starch, mannitol, sorbitol, calcium hydrogen phosphate, calcium carbonate, and microcrystalline cellulose.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the binder comprises one or a mixture of sucrose, starch, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, polyethylene glycol, and water.

[0038] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the disintegrant comprises one or a mixture of starch, cross-linked polyvinylpyrrolidone, cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose.

[0039] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lubricant comprises one or a mixture of talc, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, micropowder silica gel, polyethylene glycol-4000, polyethylene glycol-6000;

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the flavoring agent includes one or a mixture of sucrose, sorbitol, saccharin sodium, maltitol, steviol glycosides, and aspartame.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sustained-release material includes one or a mixture of hypromellose and guar gum of different viscosity specifications.

[0042] According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the drug for lowering blood lipids is a solid oral preparation, it includes the following components in parts by weight: 0.01-0.5 parts of licorice seed oil, 2-20 parts of lactose, 1-10 parts of pregelatinized starch, 1-5 parts of microcrystalline cellulose, 0.1-5 parts of sodium carboxymethyl starch, 2-10 parts of 10% povidone solution, 1-5 parts of magnesium stearate and 1-5 parts of talc.

[0043] According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the drug for lowering blood lipids is a solid oral preparation, it includes the following components in parts by weight: 0.078 parts of licorice seed oil, 13 parts of lactose, 3.5 parts of pregelatinized starch, 2.5 parts of microcrystalline cellulose, 0.8 parts of sodium carboxymethyl starch, 5 parts of 10% povidone solution, 1.5 parts of magnesium stearate and 1.5 parts of talc.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the drug for lowering blood lipids is a solid oral preparation, it is prepared by the following method: after mixing the solid excipients, passing through a 40-100 mesh sieve, adding licorice seed oil to a 10% povidone solution, mixing, adding to the sieved excipients, grinding and mixing, drying at 50-60°C for 2-3 hours, and tableting to obtain the solid oral preparation.

[0045] The present invention also provides a method for lowering blood lipids, comprising administering licorice seed oil to an individual (eg, a human or other mammal) in need thereof.

[0046] The present invention also provides a method for treating hyperlipidemia, comprising administering licorice seed oil to an individual (eg, a human or other mammal) in need thereof.

[0047] Beneficial effects

[0048] The inventors conducted in vivo lipid-lowering activity tests on licorice seed oil and found that licorice seed oil has a certain effect on clearing total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the blood lipids of hyperlipidemic rats. Therefore, licorice seed oil is expected to be developed into a drug or functional product (such as a functional food or beverage) for lipid-lowering effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Figure 1 is a photograph of the liquorice seed oil used in Examples 1 and 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The technical solutions of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following embodiments are merely illustrative and explanations of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. All technologies implemented based on the above content of the present invention are encompassed within the scope of protection that the present invention is intended to protect.

[0051] Unless otherwise specified, the raw materials and reagents used in the following examples are commercially available or can be prepared by known methods.

[0052] Instruments and reagents:

[0053] Licorice seed oil (prepared according to the method described in patent document CN202411013945.7); experimental mice: SPF-grade ICR male mice, weighing 23-30 g (provided by the Animal Center of Ningxia Medical University). The hyperlipidemia mouse model was established according to the general modeling method. The breeding environment conditions were: room temperature, relative humidity of 50-60%.

[0054] Example 1: Hypolipidemic Activity Test

[0055] Twenty rats with a hyperlipidemia model were randomly divided into two groups: a model control group of 10 and an experimental group of 10. During the experiment, the model control group was provided with a maintenance diet and distilled water, while the experimental group was given a diet and distilled water in addition to gavage of licorice seed oil (at a dose of 3g / kg). The experimental group received the drug once daily by gavage. After administration, the mice in the experimental group self-administered the same maintenance diet and distilled water as the model control group. The drug was administered continuously for 30 days. At the end of the experiment, 2 mL of blood was collected from the inner canthus without fasting. The blood was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes, and serum was separated. Serum TC, TG, and LDL-C levels were measured. The test results are shown in Tables 1-3.

[0056] Table 1. Effects of licorice seed oil on serum total cholesterol (TC) in rats

[0057] Group Number of rats Before the experiment After the experiment Model control group 10 2.85±0.35 2.99±0.45 Experimental group (3g / kg) 10 2.85±0.35 2.62±0.34*

[0058] In Table 1, “*” indicates that the difference between the experimental group and the model control group was statistically significant (P<0.05).

[0059] From the test data in Table 1, it can be seen that at a dose of 3 g / kg, licorice seed oil has a certain scavenging effect on total cholesterol (TC) in rats.

[0060] Table 2. Effects of licorice seed oil on serum triglycerides (TG) in rats

[0061] Group Number of rats Before the experiment After the experiment Model control group 10 4.32±1.52 4.42±0.45 Experimental group (3g / kg) 10 4.32±1.52 3.38±0.64*

[0062] In Table 2, “*” indicates that the difference between the experimental group and the model control group was statistically significant (P<0.05).

[0063] From the test data in Table 2, it can be seen that at a dose of 3 g / kg, licorice seed oil has a certain scavenging effect on triglyceride (TG) in rat serum.

[0064] Table 3. Effects of licorice seed oil on serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in rats

[0065] Group Number of rats Before the experiment After the experiment Model control group 10 1.25±0.35 1.12±0.27 Experimental group (3g / kg) 10 1.25±0.35 1.08±0.27*

[0066] In Table 3, “*” indicates that the difference between the experimental group and the model control group is statistically significant (P<0.05).

[0067] From the test data in Table 3, it can be seen that at a dose of 3 g / kg, licorice seed oil has a certain scavenging effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in rat serum.

[0068] The lipid-lowering effects of licorice seed oil were tested in an animal model of hyperlipidemia. Results showed that rats gavaged with 3g / kg of licorice seed oil for 30 days showed improved growth and activity. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). This suggests that licorice seed oil has a certain lipid-lowering effect and can be used to prevent and treat hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and other conditions.

[0069] Example 2: Ingredients and preparation process of solid oral dosage form

[0070]

[0071]

[0072] Preparation process: Mix the solid excipients evenly, pass through a 60-mesh sieve three times, add licorice seed oil to a 10% povidone solution, mix evenly with ultrasound, add the solution to the sieved excipients, grind and mix evenly, dry at 50-60°C for 2-3 hours, grind and mix evenly again, and press into tablets to obtain licorice seed oil tablets.

[0073] The preparation of other solid oral preparations can refer to the preparation process of tablets.

[0074] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. Use of licorice seed oil in preparing a drug for lowering blood lipids or a functional product for lowering blood lipids.

2. Use of licorice seed oil in preparing a medicament for preventing and / or treating hyperlipidemia.

3. The use according to claim 2, wherein Diseases caused by hyperlipidemia include at least one of the following: digestive system diseases (such as fatty liver, pancreatitis), cardiovascular diseases (such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease), kidney diseases, eye diseases, diabetes, and hypertension.

4. The use according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The content of linoleic acid in the licorice seed oil is ≥43%.

5. The use according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The total flavonoid content in the licorice seed oil is at least 2.2 mg / g, for example at least 2.3 mg / g, for example at least 2.4 mg / g, and illustratively 2.41 mg / g.

6. The use according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The licorice seed oil has the effect of clearing total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood lipids.

7. The use according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The medicine is a solid oral preparation or an injection preparation.

8. The use according to claim 7, wherein The solid oral preparations are capsules, tablets, granules and sustained-release preparations.

9. The use according to claim 7, wherein The injection preparation is a small needle injection or a freeze-dried injection.

10. The use according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein The medicine or functional product further includes one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients; specifically, the excipients include one or a mixture of fillers, binders, disintegrants, lubricants, flavoring agents, enteric coatings or sustained-release materials.

Images