Abstract

ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIHYPERLIPIDAEMIC ACTIVITIES OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF CASSIPOUREA CONGOENSIS FRUIT IN TRITON X-100 INDUCED HYPERLIPIDAEMIC RATS

Umaru Hauwa Aduwamai*, Samson Ezekiel and Dahiru Daniel

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases have become the leading and major clinical and public health problem. It is one of the major killer diseases in the world. The anti-hyperlipidaemic effect of methanol extract of Cassipourea congoensis fruit was tested in triton X-100 induced hyperlipidaemic rats. The hyperlipidemia was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of Triton X-100 (100mg/kg body weight). The phytochemical investigation indicated the presence of flavonoids, Phenols, glycosides, alkaloids, terpenoids and tannins. The GC-MS analysis of the fruit extract revealed the presence of squalene, 4- mercaptophenol, ascorbyl-palmitate, farnesol, octadecadienoic acid, oleic acids, Gallein, trans-Farnesol and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid. The antioxidant activities of methanol extract were evaluated by various methods. Results obtained revealed that the methanol extract of Cassipourea congoensis fruit exhibited strong antioxidant activity measured using Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2), 2, 2-Diphenyl-l-Picryl Hydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay at different concentrations of the methanol extract (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/mL). Treatment of hyperlipidaemia with methanol extract of Cassipourea congoensis fruit at different concentrations (100, 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg body weight) significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased the levels of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol in a dose dependent manner compared to experimental control. However a significant (p≤0.05) increase in serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol was observed with extract administration. The antihyperlipedaemic activity of the extract at 400mg/kg was found to be comparable to the standard drug Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg). The results demonstrated that methanol extract of Cassipourea congoensis fruit possessed significant antihyperlipidaemic activity.

Keywords: Hyperlipidaemia, Cassipourea congoensis, Triton X-100, Antioxidant activity, Lipid profile.