Peony seed oil decreases plasma cholesterol and favorably modulates gut microbiota in hypercholesterolemic hamsters

Purpose Peony ( Paeonia spp.) seed oil (PSO) contains a high amount of α-linolenic acid. The effects of PSO on hypercholesterolemia and gut microbiota remains unclear. The present study was to investigate effects of PSO supplementation on cholesterol metabolism and modulation of the gut microbiota. Methods Male Golden Syrian hamsters ( n = 40) were randomly divided into five groups ( n = 8, each) fed one of the following diets namely low-cholesterol diet (LCD); high cholesterol diet (HCD); HCD with PSO substituting 50% lard (LPSO), PSO substituting 100% lard (HPSO) and HCD with addition of 0.5% cholestyramine (PCD), respectively, for 6 weeks. Results PSO supplementation dose-dependently reduced plasma total cholesterol (TC) by 9–14%, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) by 7–18% and triacylglycerols (TG) by 14–34% ( p