Background Natural supplements and herbal medicines have been attracted to use for managing elevated cholesterol levels. Tiliacora triandra (Colebr.) Diels (TT) or Yanang (in Thai) is commonly used as an ingredient in various types of Thai foods. In this study, we investigated the effect of methanolic TT leaf extract on cholesterol absorption by measuring the uptake and the efflux of cholesterol and cholesterol micellar solubility. In addition, we tested the effect of TT leaf extract on pancreatic lipase activity. Methods The uptake and efflux of cholesterol was determined by quantification of radioactivity in differentiated Caco-2 cells after treatment with radioactive cholesterol. Cholesterol mixed micelles were prepared for cholesterol uptake, efflux and solubility studies. The pancreatic lipase activity was determined using 4-methylumbelliferyl oleate as a substrate. Results Our finding showed that TT extract decreased the uptake of cholesterol by approximately 48% but did not affect the efflux of cholesterol. TT inhibited pancreatic lipase activity with the IC50 at 273.5 μg/mL and also decreased cholesterol micellar solubility. Conclusions These findings suggest that TT leaf extract seems to be a potential candidate as cholesterol-lowering agents.
Keywords: Caco-2 cells; Yanang; cholesterol uptake; micelles solubility; pancreatic lipase, T. Triandra.