Evaluation of Antihyperlipidemic and Antioxidant Potential of some Medicinal Plants

Abstract

newlineHyperlipidemia is one of the vital risk factor for number of cardiovascular diseases. The importance of new products in the treatment and prevention of dyslipidemias becomes essential to reduce the mortality and morbidity due to cardiovascular complications. In addition the search for less toxic drugs has increased the interest of scientific community for natural products. Oxidative stress is one of the causative factors that affect the lipids and may trigger hyperlipidemia. A herbal approach to treat hyperlipidemias is more beneficial by reducing both serum lipid parameters and simultaneously increasing the antioxidant levels with less side effects since plants consists of many phytoconstituents. When compared to conventional therapy the herbal therapy is safe with lesser side effects and presence of multiple active constituents in plants altogether provides more potentiating effect. newlineThe present study aimed to elucidate the antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extract of three different plant leaves such as Artocarpus heterophyllus, Mimusops elengi, Talinum portulacifolium and their concoction against Triton WR-1339 induced hyperlipidemia on rats. newlineThe animals were divided into five groups of six rats each. Normal group, disease control group, standard group, test group treated with low dose extract and test group treated with high dose extract. Hyperlipidemia was developed by intraperitoneal injection of Triton WR-1339 (200mg/kg b.w). Free radicals or highly reactive oxygen species are capable of inducing oxidative damage to human body causing many diseases. This study also determines the antioxidant properties of all three selected medicinal plant extracts and their concoction. newlineThe parameters assessed were serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDL-c), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), lipoprotein ratio (LDL-c/HDL-c), atherogenic index and histopathology of liver.