Hypocholesterolemic action of chitosans with different viscosity in rats.

The relationship between hypocholesterolemic efficacy and average molecular weight of chitosan was studied in rats fed a cholesterol-enriched (0.5%) diet. Several chitosan preparations with a comparable degree of deacetylation but differing widely in average molecular weight, as demonstrated by viscosity, almost completely prevented the rise of serum cholesterol at the 5% dietary level. At the 2% level, chitosans with viscosities at both extremes exerted a comparable cholesterol-lowering action. The glucosamine oligomer composed mainly of three to five aminosugar residues was not effective. The results indicate that the hypocholesterolemic action of chitosans is independent of their molecular weight within the tested viscosity range.