Background: Hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress are major risk factors for atherosclerosis, and all three are among\nthe most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Cassia occidentalis aqueous extract has been used in\nAfrican traditional medicine for the treatment of hypertension and associated cardiovascular diseases. This study\nwas undertaken to evaluate the hypolipidemic and anti-atherosclerotic properties of the aqueous extract of the\nleaves of C. occidentalis in rats with hypercholesterolemia (HC).\nSixty Normocholesterolemic (NC) male rats were divided into six groups (n = 10) and fed a high-cholesterol (HC)\ndiet for 30 days (5 groups), or normal rat chow (normal control group). The plant extract was administered to\nanimals at the increasing dose of 240, 320 and 400 mg/kg. After 4 weeks of treatment 5 rats out of 10 were\nsacrificed, blood samples, aorta, liver, and fresh faecal were collected and processed for biochemical tests. The\nexperiments were conducted under the same conditions with a group of rat treated with Atorvastatin (1 mg/kg),\nused positive control. The effects of C. occidentalis on weight gain, water and food consumptions, levels of serum\nlipids and lipoprotein lipid oxidation and stress markers in blood and liver were also examined.\nResults: A significant body weight gain was observed in general in all the group of animals without any treatment\nafter 4 weeks. During the treatment period, the C. occidentalis extract induced a significant increase (P < 0.01) in\nwater consumption and food intakes. After 4 weeks of treatment with hypercholesterolemia, the body temperature\nand organ weights including the liver, kidney, heart and the testis did not present any significant change. The\nadministration of C. occidentalis extract significantly (p < 0.05) prevented the elevation in TC, LDL-C, VLDL-C, hepatic\nand aortic TG and TC. The atherogenic, triglycerides, and lipid peroxidation (TBARS) index were also decreased in\nthe rats treated with the plant extract. C. occidentalis favoured the performance of faecal cholesterol. It also\nsignificantly inhibited the changes and the formation of aortic atherosclerotic plaques.\nConclusion: This study provides evidence of hypolipidemic and antiatherosclerotic effects of C. occidentalis extract.\nC. occidenntalis aqueous extract reduced bad cholesterols, triglycerides and increasing good cholesterols in rats\nsubjected to a feeding regime enriched with cholesterol. The results support the traditional use of the extract of\nthis plant in the treatment of hypertension and diabetes.
Loading....