Abstract
This study determines the effect of cookies made from sea grapes (Caulerpa racemosa) on PGC-1α, total cholesterol, and blood glucose levels on mice fed with a Cholesterol- and Fat-Enriched Diet (CFED). The antioxidant activity, tyrosinase inhibition, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase inhibition is also analyzed in order to assess the in vitro anti-aging potential of sea grapes cookies. Forty male Mus muscullus albino mice weighing 20 g-30 g were used and randomly distributed into four groups of ten animals each. Group A served as a normal control (given a standard dry pellet diet), Group B was given CFED only, and mice in Groups C and D were given CFED with 100 mg and 200 mg/20 g body weight of sea grapes cookies, respectively for 4 weeks. In vitro study shows that the percentage of inhibition activity of antioxidant, L-Tyrosine, L-Dopa, α-glucosidase, and α-amylase inhibition were 45.65 ± 1.50, 8.95 ± 0.06, 21.31 ± 0.98, 77.12 ± 4.67 and 70.94 ± 0.98, respectively. This study found that group D had better activity in lowering blood glucose than group C (p < 0.0001). In addition, although there was not found significant difference between groups C and D in blood cholesterol reduction and PGC-1α (p = 0.1482), both groups experienced the same effect in total cholesterol reduction and PGC-1α in mice (significantly, p < 0001). Thus, we conclude that sea grapes cookies are proven to improve PGC-1α, total cholesterol, and blood glucose levels in mice fed with CFED. Hence, sea grapes cookies is a potential anti-aging novel-functional food.