Malik Abdul, Mehmood Malik Hassan, Akhtar Muhammad Shoaib, Haider Ghulam, Gilani Anwarul Hassan
Natural Product Research Division, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, The Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan / Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
Natural Product Research Division, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, The Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan.
Pak J Pharm Sci. 2017 Jan;30(1 Suppl):295-301.
A compound herbal formulation (POL) is used traditionally in interior parts (Distt. Badin) of Sindh, Pakistan, for the treatment of metabolic disorders like diabetes and hyperlipidemia. This study is aimed to determine the effectiveness of POL and its ingredients in hyperlipidemia and associated endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. POL is composed of equal proportion of Nigella sativa, Cichorium intybus, Trigonella foenum graecum and Gymnema sylvestre mixed in powdered form. Chronic (6 to 7 weeks) administration of POL and its ingredients mixed in diet caused a notable attenuation in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, atherogenic index, C-reactive protein and glucose, while it has increased high density lipoprotein levels. POL4 intervention markedly (p<0.01) reduced systolic blood pressure in rats to 127±1.92 vs. 145.4±1.07 mm of Hg using tail-cuff method and significantly (p<0.05) improved endothelium-dependent relaxation (75±2.88 vs. 82.75±1.22%) to acetylcholine in isolated aortae of rats in treatment groups using force transducer and PowerLab system. Similar activities were assessed on the part of ingredients of POL. These findings indicate that POL4 and its ingredients possess antihyperlipidemic, endothelium-dependent modulatory and antihypertensive activities, thus providing an evidence to the vernacular use of POL in hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
