This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of the chitosan (CTS) and
water-soluble chitosan (WSC) microspheres on plasma lipids in male Sprague-Dawley rats
fed with high-fat diets. CTS microspheres and WSC microspheres were prepared by the
spray-drying technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed that the
microspheres were nearly spherical in shape. The mean size of CTS microspheres was
4.07 μm (varying from 1.50 to 7.21 μm) and of WSC microspheres was 2.00 μm (varying
from 0.85 to 3.58 μm). The rats were classified into eight groups (n = 8) and were fed with
high-fat diets for two weeks to establish the hyperlipidemic condition and were then
treated with CTS microspheres and WSC microspheres, CTS and WSC for four weeks. The
results showed that CTS and WSC microspheres reduced blood lipids and plasma viscosity
and increased the serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels significantly. This study is the
first report of the lipid-lowering effects of CTS and WSC microspheres. CTS and WSC
microspheres were found to be more effective in improving hyperlipidemia in rats than
common CTS and WS