Abid Rizwana, Mahmood Riaz, Santosh Kumar Hulikal Shivashankara
a Department of PG Studies and Research in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics , Jnanasahyadri, Kuvempu University , Shivamogga , Karnataka , India.
Pharm Biol. 2016 Dec;54(12):2822-2829. doi: 10.1080/13880209.2016.1185445. Epub 2016 Jun 3.
The plant Cassia fistula L. (Caesalpiniaceae) fruit was widely used by traditional practitioners to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in India. Hyperlipidemia is a lipid metabolism disorder and the major risk factor for the development of CVDs. Although most of the current hypolipidemic drugs are expensive and have potential side effects, the research focusing on natural alternative medicines is relevant.
To investigate the hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of ethanol extract of C. fistula fruit (CFE) in high-fat diet (HFD) induced hyperlipidemia in mice.
Oral administration of CFE at 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg body weight on HFD induced hyperlipidemia mice for 30 days. The standard drug atorvastatin (20 mg/kg) was used to compare the efficacy of CFE. Hypolipidemic effect was evidenced by the measurement of serum lipid profile and further confirmed by Oil Red O staining of adipose tissue. The hepatic and cardiac melondialdehyde (MDA) level and antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were determined.
Treatment with CFE at different doses has significantly restored the levels of serum lipid, MDA and enzymes activities in the liver and heart of hyperlipidemia mice. Oil Red O staining of visceral adipose tissue has shown marked reduction of lipid accumulation in adipocytes; whereas, administration of CFE at 500 mg/kg showed remarkable (p < 0.001) hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects in HFD fed mice.
C. fistula fruit demonstrated hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties in vivo and the results corroborate the use of this plant in traditional medicine for cardiac ailments.
在印度，传统医学从业者广泛使用决明属植物（豆科）的果实来治疗心血管疾病（CVDs）。高脂血症是一种脂质代谢紊乱疾病，也是心血管疾病发生的主要危险因素。尽管目前大多数降血脂药物价格昂贵且有潜在副作用，但对天然替代药物的研究仍具有重要意义。
研究决明属植物果实乙醇提取物（CFE）对高脂饮食（HFD）诱导的小鼠高脂血症的降血脂和抗氧化作用。
对高脂饮食诱导的高脂血症小鼠口服给予100、300和500mg/kg体重的CFE，持续30天。使用标准药物阿托伐他汀（20mg/kg）来比较CFE的疗效。通过测量血清脂质谱来证明降血脂作用，并通过脂肪组织的油红O染色进一步证实。测定肝脏和心脏中的丙二醛（MDA）水平以及抗氧化酶活性，包括超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化氢酶和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶。
不同剂量的CFE治疗显著恢复了高脂血症小鼠肝脏和心脏中的血清脂质、MDA水平以及酶活性。内脏脂肪组织的油红O染色显示脂肪细胞中的脂质积累明显减少；而给予500mg/kg的CFE对高脂饮食喂养的小鼠显示出显著（p<0.001）的降血脂和抗氧化作用。
决明属植物果实在体内表现出降血脂和抗氧化特性，结果证实了该植物在传统医学中用于治疗心脏疾病的用途。
