Induction of peroxisomal fatty acyl-coenzyme A oxidase and total carnitine acetyl-coenzyme A transferase in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes by garlic extracts

Garlic has been proposed as a natural hypolipidemic substance. Most hypolipidemic compounds induce peroxisomal proliferation and increase enzyme activities associated with peroxisomal β-oxidation in rat liver. Here we report that garlic methanol-extracts behave as hypolipidemic drugs, increasing the activity of peroxisomal fatty acyl-coenzyme A oxidase and of total carnitine acetyl-coenzyme A transferase in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. Both enzymes are considered markers associated with increased peroxisomal β-oxidation. As in the case of hypolipidemic peroxisome proliferators, garlic extracts partially prevented the decrease in fatty acyl-coenzyme A oxidase as the culture aged. No changes were observed in the activity of microsomal NADPH cytochrome c reductase or of mitochondrial glutamate dehydrogenase.