Effects of Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice on lipid and bone metabolism in ovariectomized rats

Introduction: The ovariectomized (OVX) rat is a gold-standard model to mimic the changes in the female organism during menopause. Aronia melanocarpa fruits are very rich in polyphenols and exert many beneficial effects in animal models and clinical trials.Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice (AMFJ) on lipid metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) in OVX rats.Materials and Methods: Four groups of female Wistar rats were formed, each consisting of 14 animals—sham operated (SO), OVX (treated with distilled water), as well as OVX+AMFJ5, and OVX+AMFJ10 (OVX treated with 5 and 10 mL/kg AMFJ, respectively). The animal treatment began 2 weeks after the operation. After a three-month treatment period, body weight (BW), total fat (TF) and retroperitoneal fat (RPF), as well as serum total cholesterol were measured. The indices TF/BW and RPF/BW were calculated. Femur BMD was determined as well. The statistical analysis used was one-way ANOVA.Results: Compared to SO animals, OVX rats showed a statistically significant increase in TF (p < 0.05), RPF (p < 0.01), TF/BW (p < 0.05), and RPF/BW (p < 0.01). Plasma cholesterol levels of OVX animals were increased and their BMD was decreased if compared to SO rats, but these changes were not statistically significant. Compared to OVX rats, AMFJ did not affect lipid accumulation and cholesterol levels but at the dose of 10 mL/kg significantly increased BMD (p < 0.05 vs. OVX).Conclusion: Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice was not able to prevent the fat accumulation in OVX rats, but managed to restore their BMD