It is well known that polyphenols and saponins present antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects, respectively. As cassava leaves contains these substances, the effects of diets supplemented with cassava leaf flour (CLF) on lipidic peroxidation, blood lipid profile and liver weight of rats were investigated. Therefore, ripe cassava leaves (Manihot esculenta Crantz cv. Cacao) were dried in a ventilated oven at 30-35 ºC and ground without the petioles. A biological assay was conducted during 7 weeks with 32 Wistar male rats submitted to four treatments: control diet and diets containing 5%, 10% and 15% CLF, all supplemented with 1% cholesterol. Diets were isoenergetic and contained the same levels of digestible protein, and fibers. It was observed that diets containing CLF presented no significant effect on blood lipidic profile or performance variables, but contributed to an increase in liver weight. Diets containing 10% and 15% CLF were associated with a reduction in plasmatic levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances.
cassava leaves; lignin; saponin; polyphenols; cyanide; Wistar rats
