Current research into free radicals has confirmed that foods rich in antioxidants play an essential role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer [6�C8]. Therefore, plant derived antioxidants are now receiving special attention [9, 10]. Sesamum indicum Linn. www.selleckchem.com/products/Abiraterone.html (sesame) belongs to the family Pedaliaceae and has been routinely used for culinary purposes in the oriental cuisine. In addition, several lines of evidence from traditional as well as modern medicine have confirmed various medicinal properties of sesame [11�C13]. This plant possesses significant amounts of diverse phytochemicals, most importantly phenolic acids and lignans [14]. Oils and phytochemicals obtained from sesame have been shown to serve as promising natural antioxidants for both food preservation and medicinal applications [12].

Sesame seed contains moisture, crude oil, crude proteins, carbohydrates, crude fiber, and ash. Sesame oil (constituting ~50% of total seed content) is a rich source of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids [15]. Previous studies have reported that high antioxidant properties of sesame seed appear to be related to its main lignans namely sesamol, sesamolinol, pinoresinol, and sesaminol [16�C18] as well as vitamin E [19]. As key constituents of sesame, lignans, dietary fibers and, polyunsaturated fatty acids have been reported to possess antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic effects [20�C22]. However, only a few studies have been conducted to clarify these pharmacological effects in hypercholesterolemic models supplemented with sesame powder and sesame oil [23�C26].

Therefore, the present study was designed with the aim of evaluating the effects of sesame seed and sesame oil on serum lipids, apolipoproteins, liver enzymes, glucose, and insulin in a hyperlipidemic rabbit model. 2. Materials and Methods2.1. Sesame Seed CollectionSesame seeds were purchased from a local fruit market in Shahrekord, Iran. Genus and species of the plant were identified and authenticated by a plant taxonomist and deposited at the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (Shahrekord, Iran, herbarium no. 409). Sesame oil was mechanically extracted using a screw press (oil expeller) as commonly used and described elsewhere [27].2.2. Phytochemical AnalysisTotal phenolic and total flavonoid contents of sesame seed and sesame oil were colorimetrically determined using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride reagents, respectively [25, 28, 29]. Total values of phenolics and flavonoids were expressed in terms of gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and Cilengitide rutin equivalent (RE) (in mg/g), respectively.2.3.