Evaluation of Egyptian Rocket seed oil as a source of essential fatty acids and its hypolipidemic effect in rats fed on high fat diet

The seeds of rocket (Eruca Sativa) grown in Egypt contain about 35% total lipids (oil). The extracted oil has good physiochemical properties. The rocket seed oil, contain high content of unsaturated fatty acids 82.1%. Rocket seed oil has a high ratio of alpha lenolenic acid (19.34%) and the next is linoleic acid (13.67) also has a good amount from oleic acid (15.53). Most of the unsaponifiable matter is phytosterol (61.49%); beta-sitosterol is the main sterol because it has a high content (37.3%). There for the hypolipidemic effect of the rocket seed oil in the plasma of rats was studied , where as feeding on hyperlipidemic diet ( group B ) led to an acute increase in the plasma content of total lipids, triglycerides ,total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, when compared with control ( group A) . The supplementation of stomach tube dose (1 g /kg body weight) of rocket seed oil (group C) to rats fed on hyperlipidemic diet for a period of two months showed high effect as hypolipidemic agent. All lipid profile parameter except HDL – cholesterol decreased, when compared with the high fat diet (group B). We can conclude that rocket seed oil showed a good effect as hypolipidemic agent, and contained high amount of omeg-3 fatty acids, and omega-6fatty acids. We can recommend that this oil could be used as a high plant source of omeg-3, and omega-6 fatty acids in the human nutrition.