Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Sana'a University, 13499 Sana'a, Yemen.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Sana'a University, 13499 Sana'a, Yemen; Chemical Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, D-78457 Constance, Germany.
J Integr Med. 2019 May;17(3):181-191. doi: 10.1016/j.joim.2019.02.002. Epub 2019 Feb 13.
An extract of Costus speciosus (CSE), a herb widely used in folk medicine, was evaluated for its antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic and ameliorating effects on histopathological changes in atherogenic rabbits.
Twenty-four male rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were divided into 4 groups. Three groups were fed a diet containing 3% saturated fat and 1.3% cholesterol for 40 d. One of these was sacrificed on the 40th day and was called the pathogenic (P) group; the other two groups received treatment for another 30 d as follows: one received 0.8 g/(kg·d) of CSE and the other was given 0.01 g/(kg·d) of simvastatin. The normal group was sacrificed on the 70th day and used as a control.
CSE showed radical-scavenging ability. Administration of CSE for a 30-day period resulted in a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low-density lipoprotein and aspartate aminotransferase compared to the P group, while levels of hemoglobin, packed corpuscular volume and red blood cells were elevated. With respect to studies performed on the heart, a decrease in malondialdehyde and an increase in reduced glutathione were noted. Total protein increased in the liver, heart and aorta after treatment with CSE and also a marked improvement in histopathological parameters was demonstrated.
The present findings indicate that the C. speciosus rhizome possesses antiatherogenic and antioxidant properties which may provide protective effects against oxidative stress in atherosclerotic rabbits.
广泛应用于民间医学的一种草药，长穗莞莞草（CSE）的提取物，因其具有抗氧化、抗高血脂以及改善动脉粥样硬化兔子组织病理学变化的作用而受到评估。
24 只雄性兔子（兔形目兔科兔属）被分为 4 组。3 组喂食含有 3%饱和脂肪和 1.3%胆固醇的饮食 40 天。其中一组在第 40 天被处死，称为致病（P）组；另外两组再接受 30 天的治疗，具体如下：一组给予 0.8g/（kg·d）的 CSE，另一组给予 0.01g/（kg·d）的辛伐他汀。正常组在第 70 天被处死，用作对照。
CSE 显示出自由基清除能力。与 P 组相比，CSE 给药 30 天可显著降低总胆固醇、三酰甘油、低密度脂蛋白和天冬氨酸转氨酶，而血红蛋白、红细胞压积和红细胞计数升高。在心脏研究方面，丙二醛降低，谷胱甘肽增加。CSE 治疗后肝脏、心脏和主动脉中的总蛋白增加，组织病理学参数也得到显著改善。
本研究结果表明，长穗莞莞草根具有抗动脉粥样硬化和抗氧化特性，可能对动脉粥样硬化兔子的氧化应激提供保护作用。
