3.3. Effect of FPP supplementation on free radical induced hemolysis
FPP increased the hemolysis HT50 of red blood cells in a nondose-
dependent manner. A minimum dose of 200 lg/ml significantly
increased HT50 by 144.6 ± 7.5% compared to a control
(P < 0.01). The capacity of FPP to delay red blood cell hemolysis
gradually reduced as from 400 lg/ml upwards (P < 0.05) (Table 2).
The measurement of HT50 is very reproducible with intra- and inter-
assay coefficients of variation, 1.32% and 3.85%, respectively
(Bourdon et al., 1999). Indeed in humans and animal models where
oxidative stress has been well documented, HT50 have been shown
to be representative of the total defense against free radicals.
Basal total antioxidant status (TAS) values varied between 1.48–
1.88 mM/l in males and 1.35–1.75 mM/l in females of the treatment
group (Table 3). After 14 weeks of consuming 6 g FPP/day,
the TAS of males and females of the treatment group were observed
to increase by 4.9% (P < 0.05) and 5.7% (P > 0.05) respectively.
Post wash out analysis showed a continuous increase
(P < 0.001) of mean TAS values in both genders of the treatment