Antihyperlipidemic effect of crocin isolated from the fructus of Gardenia jasminoides and its metabolite Crocetin.

The pancreatic lipase inhibitors were isolated from the fructus of Gardenia jasminoides ELLIS, and their antihyperlipidemic activities were measured. Gardeniae fructus (GF) water extract inhibited pancreatic lipase activity. Crocetin and crocin were isolated from GF water extract as inhibitors of pancreatic lipase with an IC50 value of 2.1 and 2.6 mg/ml (triolein as a substrate). Crocin and crocetin significantly inhibited the increase of serum TG level in corn oil feeding-induced triglyceridemic mice, as well as that of serum triglyceride and total and LDL cholesterol levels in Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemic mice. These compounds also showed hypolipidemic activity in hyperlipidemic mice induced by high cholesterol, high fat or high carbohydrate diets for 5 weeks. The results suggest that the hypolipidemic activity of GF and its component crocin may be due to the inhibition of pancreatic lipase and crocin, and its metabolite, crocetin, can improve hyperlipidemia.