Hypocholesterolemic Effect of Biophytum sensitivum Leaf Water Extract

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible hypocholesterolemic effect of water extract of leaves of Biophytum sensitivum in three groups (of six each) of male albino rabbits: group I of healthy controls, group II of untreated hypercholesterolemic rabbits, and group III of hypercholesterolemic rabbits treated with the water extract. Hypercholesterolemia was initially induced in the group II and III rabbits by feeding cholesterol at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight/day for 1 week. Subsequently, for 4 weeks, the group II rabbits continued to receive the above dose of cholesterol, while the group III rabbits were given the plant extract (200 mg/kg body weight/day) along with the above dose of cholesterol for four weeks. Group I rabbits were given groundnut oil only at a dose of 1ml/kg body weight. In group II, serum total cholesterol (TC) showed a nearly five-fold rise from initial value of 53.6 ± 7 mg/dl to 286.3 ± 22 mg/dl. In group III, there was an increase only until the third week from 52.6 ± 7 mg/dl to 170.8 ± 12 mg/dl, after which TC started decreasing and came down to 146.3 ± 13 mg/dl by the end of the 5th week. A similar effect on the other lipid parameters was also observed. The treatment not only prevented the elevation of serum triglycerides, very low density lipoprotein plus low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLc + LDLc), and the ratios of total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDLc) and (VLDLc + LDLc)/HDLc, but also brought down most of these values. Blood glucose levels were not significantly altered. The study shows that the extract has significant hypocholesterolemic effect.