Effect of long-term desalinated seawater consumption as drinking water on blood lipids in rats

Objective To observe the effect of long-term consumption of desalinated seawater as drinking water on blood lipids in rats.Methods A total of 120 Wistar rats were divided into an experimental group drinking desalinated seawater and a control group drinking municipal tap water for one year.The blood samples of the rats were collected at 3,6,and 12 month.The indicators of blood lipid such as triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)were analyzed with automatic biochemical analyzer.Results In the observation period,food-taking,drinking,and general state of the rats in the experimental group were normal and the change of body weight showed no obvious difference between the rats of the experimental and the control group.At 6 month,serum TC(1.52±0.18 mmol/L),HDL-C(0.90±0.14 mmol/L),and LDL-C(0.17±0.03 mmol/L) of the female rats in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the rats in the control group(all P<0.05);serum TC(1.82±0.24 mmol/L),HDL-C(0.901±0.14 mmol/L)of the male rats in the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the rats in the control group(both P<0.05).At 12 month,serum TG(2.01±0.63 mmol/L),TC(1.20±0.30 mmol/L),HDL-C(0.71±0.11 mmol/L),and LDL-C(0.15±0.03 mmol/L)of the female rats in the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the female rats in the the control group(all P<0.05).Conclusion Long-term consumption of desalinated seawater as drinking water has no significant effect on the growth and development of rats but may influence blood lipid level of the female rats.