Monascus pilosus and cholesterol

Monascus pilosus and monascus purpureus are fungi, yeast or molds that grow on rice making red yeast rice. The importance of this is that red yeast rice contains several compounds, such as lovastatin, which has an influence on cholesterol levels. Red yeast rice supplements are sold over the counter.

Monascus pilosus and cholesterol
Red Yeast Rice Fermentation by Selected Monascus sp. with Deep-Red Color, Lovastatin Production but No Citrinin, and Effect of Temperature-Shift Cultivation on Lovastatin Production.
Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2009 Feb 12. Tropical Technology Center Co., 5-1 Suzaki Uruma-shi, Okinawa, 901-2234, Japan.
Monascus pilosus NBRC4520 was selected for functional fermented food inoculation for its high lovastatin and low citrinin production with a deep-red color. For koji (mold rice) with high lovastatin production, separation of the growth phase and lovastatin production phase by shifting the temperature from 30 to 23 degrees C increased lovastatin production by nearly 20 times compared to temperature-constant cultivation. In addition, citrinin was not produced even in the lovastatin production phase, although the pigment was increased. With temperature-shift cultivation, 225 mug lovastatin /g dry koji was produced in 14 days without citrinin.

Downregulation of hepatic lipoprotein assembly in rats by fermented products of Monascus pilosus.
Nutrition. 2008 May;24(5):477-83. Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Nutraceutical Biotechnology, Shih Chien University, Taipei,
The fermented products of Monascus species have been known for their cholesterol lowering effect; however, the studies mostly have focused on the inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis in liver. In this study, we examined whether fermented products of Monascus pilosus have regulatory effects on the hepatic lipoprotein assembly. Maintenance on a 1% cholesterol diet for 2 wk significantly raised animals' blood lipid levels and increased the expression of intestinal microsomal triacylglycerol transfer protein, hepatic apolipoprotein B-100, and acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase. Supplementation of Monascus pilosus fermented products or garlic powder significantly lowered animals' blood lipid levels and inhibited the expression of intestinal microsomal triacylglycerol transfer protein and hepatic apolipoprotein B-100. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase was downregulated by the Monascus pilosus fermented product grown in regular medium but not in garlic-containing medium. The expression of antioxidant enzymes was significantly upregulated by the Monascus pilosus fermented product grown in garlic-containing medium. Monascus pilosus fermented products exert the cholesterol lowering effect by mechanisms other than the inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis.

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