Anti-cholelithogenic potential of dietary spices and their bioactives.

Dietary hypocholesterolemic spices—curcumin (active compound of turmeric (Curcuma longa)) and
capsaicin (active compound of red pepper (Capsicum annuum)), the active principles of spices—turmeric
(Curcuma longa) and red pepper (Capsicum annuum), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds, garlic
(Allium sativum), and onion (Allium cepa) are documented to have anti-cholelithogenic property in animal
model. These spices prevent the induction of cholesterol gallstones by lithogenic high cholesterol diet
and also regress the pre-established cholesterol gallstones, by virtue of their hypolipidemic potential. The
antilithogenic influence of these spices is primarily attributable to their hypocholesterolemic effect.
Increased cholesterol saturation index, cholesterol:phospholipid ratio and cholesterol:bile acid ratio in the
bile caused by the lithogenic diet was countered by these spices. The antilithogenicity of these
hypocholesterolemic spices was considered to be due also to their influence on biliary proteins that have
pro-nucleating activity and anti-nucleating activity. Investigations on the involvement of biliary proteins in
cholesterol crystal nucleation revealed that in an in vitro bile model, low molecular weight biliary proteins
of the lithogenic diet fed animals have a pro-nucleating activity. On the contrary, low molecular weight
biliary proteins of the animals fed hypocholesterolemic spices along with lithogenic diet showed a potent
anti-nucleating activity.