Department of Pharmacology, Biological Sciences Center, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Prati-Donaduzzi Pharmaceutical Co., Toledo, PR, Brazil.
Institute of Biological, Medical and Health Sciences, Universidade Paranaense, Toledo, PR, Brazil.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2018 Apr 6;215:14-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2017.12.030. Epub 2017 Dec 20.
Vitex megapotamica (Spreng.) Moldenke is a deciduous tree, native of South America. Its leaves are traditionally used to treat cardiovascular diseases. This activity is related to the presence of flavonoids, the major compounds of the crude extract.
This study investigated the effects of the oral administration of crude extract and standardized fractions from V. megapotamica leaves on lipid profile and on the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in C57BL/6 LDLr-KO mice treated with high-fat diet (HFD).
Male C57BL/6 LDLr-KO mice were fed with HFD (cholesterol, 1.25%) for 30 days. They were treated with hydroethanolic extract (500 or 1000mg/kg/day) or fractions (125 or 250mg/kg/day). After 30 days of treatment, it was evaluated the serum lipid profile, atherogenic index, and atherosclerotic plaque.
All doses of the hydroethanolic extract reduced significantly the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c and the atherogenic index. The n-butanolic fraction also reduced significantly the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c and the atherogenic index, at all doses, with exception for the triglycerides, which only the lower dose was effective. The residual fraction reduced significantly the levels of total cholesterol, LDL-c and the atherogenic index, at all doses, with exception for the atherogenic index, which only the higher dose was effective. The atherosclerotic plaque formation was impaired only by the lower dose of the hydroethanolic extract.
Overall, our data suggest that V. megapotamica has potential for the treatment of dyslipidemias.
Vitex megapotamica（Spreng.）Moldenke 是一种落叶乔木，原产于南美洲。其叶子传统上用于治疗心血管疾病。这种活性与类黄酮的存在有关，类黄酮是粗提取物的主要化合物。
本研究旨在探讨 Vitex megapotamica 叶的粗提取物和标准化部分对高脂饮食（HFD）喂养的 C57BL/6 LDLr-KO 小鼠血脂谱和动脉粥样硬化斑块形成的影响。
雄性 C57BL/6 LDLr-KO 小鼠喂食 HFD（胆固醇 1.25%）30 天。它们用羟乙基提取物（500 或 1000mg/kg/天）或馏分（125 或 250mg/kg/天）治疗。治疗 30 天后，评估血清脂质谱、动脉粥样硬化指数和动脉粥样硬化斑块。
羟乙基提取物的所有剂量均显著降低总胆固醇、甘油三酯、LDL-c 和动脉粥样硬化指数。正丁醇馏分也显著降低了总胆固醇、甘油三酯、LDL-c 和动脉粥样硬化指数的水平，所有剂量均有效，除了甘油三酯，只有较低剂量有效。残余馏分显著降低了总胆固醇、LDL-c 和动脉粥样硬化指数的水平，所有剂量均有效，除了动脉粥样硬化指数，只有较高剂量有效。只有较低剂量的羟乙基提取物才能抑制动脉粥样硬化斑块的形成。
总体而言，我们的数据表明 Vitex megapotamica 具有治疗血脂异常的潜力。
