Abstract: Objective: To explore the effect of Tenebrio molitor oil on blood lipid and antioxidant function in ICR male mice with hyperlipidemia. Methods: High fat diet was used to create a hyperlipidemic model. Fifty healthy male ICR mice were randomly divided into 5 groups of 10 each: normal control group (fed basal diet), high fat model group (fed high fat diet) and low-, middle- and high-dose Tenebrio molitor oil groups (fed high fat diet and administered intragastrically with Tenebrio molitor oil at doses of 5, 10 mL/(kg·d) and 20 mL/(kg·d), respectively). After 30 consecutive days of intragastric administration, all the mice were measured for their body weight, liver index, blood lipid levels and antioxidant function in liver. Results: Tenebrio molitor oil could reduce serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels as well as arteriosclerosis index (AI), and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level. It could also reduce the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, increase hepatic catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and improve liver total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). Conclusion: Tenebrio molitor oil can regulate blood lipid and enhance antioxidant function.

Key words: Tenebrio molitor oil, hyperlipidemia, blood lipid, antioxidation