The Effects of Some Medicinal Plants from Southwest Nigeria on Serum Lipids Profile of Adult Male Wistar Rats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30442/ahr.1102-10-286Abstract
Background: The global increase in the prevalence of hyperlipidaemia have become a worldwide health concern. Many herbal remedies have been studied and found to be effective for the treatment of increase in lipids in traditional medicine.
Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of some medicinal plants on the serum lipid profile of male Wistar rats.
Methods: Sixty-five adult male Wistar rats (7-10 weeks old) were distributed into three groups: control (five rats), test (thirty rats), and recovery (thirty rats). The aqueous leaf extract of Jatropha curcas, Phyllantus amarus, Rauvolfia vomitoria, Mormodica charantia, Moringa oleifera, and Vernonia amygdala was administered individually at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight for 21 days. The control group was given normal food and water, the test group (n = 30) received 0.3 mL (150 mg/kg body weight) of the aqueous leaf extract orally for 21 consecutive days and were euthanized immediately after the treatment period. Recovery Group (n = 30) received the same dose and duration of extract administration (21 days) as the test group but were allowed a 21-day recovery period without further treatment before euthanasia.
Results: Oral administration of aqueous leaf extract at the dose of 0.3 ml (150 mg/kg body weight) caused a significant decrease (p<0.05) in high-density lipoprotein levels (HDL) in Wistar rats when compared to control while there was an increase (p>0.05) in low-density lipoprotein levels (LDL) and total cholesterol (TC) in the test and recovery group when compared with the control group.
Conclusions: Aqueous leaves extract from various medicinal plants caused a significant increase in low-density protein levels which can raise the risk for morbidities such as heart disease and stroke in humans.
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