The Effects of Pinus Pinaster & Pinus Koraiensis Seed

Pinus pinaster and Pinus koraiensis are coniferous plants native to the Mediterranean region. They have thick needles and cones with stiff, woody scales. The seeds from these trees are popular as condiments in food preparation. The oil extracted from these seeds can also be included in the diet. However, it is important to understand the metabolism of the oils before consuming them. You should know how they affect your blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which may influence your risk of chronic conditions including heart disease and stroke. Observing the effects of Pinus pinaster and Pinus koraiensis seed oils in animal models may be a good way of understanding their effects.

Things You'll Need

• 50-day-old, 200 g male Wistar rats
• Cholesterol and triglyceride testing kit
• Centrifuge
• Phosphate-buffered saline
• Sodium azide

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Instructions

• 1

  Acclimatize the rats to a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and darkness from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Make sure that room has minimum background noise, and the rats have access to water and regular feeds. This will reduce the stress which may otherwise affect blood lipid and sugar levels.

• 2

  Draw a blood sample from each rat and test the cholesterol and triglyceride levels to establish a base level.

• 3

  Divide the rats into two groups. Feed one group with a diet containing 5 percent Pinus pinaster and Pinus koraiensis seed oils for 28 days. Feed the control group with 5 percent oleic acid for the same number of days.

• 4

  Draw fresh samples of blood from both groups of rats. Separate the plasma by centrifuging the sample at 630 revolutions per minute for 20 minutes at 4 degrees Celsius. Divide the plasma into two portions. Use one portion to test for the triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

• 5

  Use the other plasma sample to perform a gas filtration chromatography, which separates the molecules based on their size. Mix 200 microliters of plasma with buffer solution and sodium azide and allow it to pass through a porous bed of beads which helps separate the fat molecules in the plasma. This will confirm the results of the blood tests performed in the previous step.