Bioassessment of flaxseed powder and extract against hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia using Sprague Dawley rats

Background: Flaxseed has emerged as a potential source of bioactive components that can be utilized in routine diet to address lifestyle disorders. Methods: In this context, three studies were carried out on the basis of induction therapies i.e. Study I (Normal diet), Study II (Hyperglycemic diet; 40% sucrose) and Study III (Hypercholesterolemic diet; 1.5% cholesterol) using Sprague Dawley rats. Each study was further split into three groups based on diets; Control (free from flaxseed powder or extract), Functional diet (incorporation of flaxseed powder; 10%) and Nutraceutical diet (inclusion of ethanolic extract of flaxseed; 5%). During experimental period, hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic parameters were evaluated alongside, alterations in hematological aspects were also assessed. Results: Feed intake and body weight demonstrated significant response (p < 0.05) of diets and study intervals however, water intake was substantially influenced by study intervals. In study II (hyperglycemic rats), maximum decline in glucose level was recorded (9.02%) in rats administered with extract based diet. In the same group, maximum increase in insulin (5.90%) was noted. Regarding lipid profile, the bioevaluation trials revealed maximum reduction in serum cholesterol (13.10%) in study III (hypercholesterolemic rats) on the provision of flaxseed extract (nutraceutical diet) followed by flaxseed powder (functional diet) i.e. 7.85%. Further, maximum decrease in low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) was reported i.e. 14.28% on supplementation of flaxseed extract to hypercholesterolemic rats. Conclusions: Thus, flaxseed extract based intervention has shown higher bioefficacy to address hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia in comparison to flaxseed powder