Sivasakthi, M (2021) Antihyperlipidemic Activity of Cucumis Melo Linn Seeds in High Fat Diet Induced Hyperlipidemia on Experimental Animals. Masters thesis, Ultra College of Pharmacy, Madurai.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Hyperlipidemia is family of disorders that are characterized by abnormally high levels of lipids in the blood. The consequence of hyperlipidemia is that, with time it can predispose to clogging up of blood vessels, known as atherosclerosis and this increases the risk of coronary heart diseases and stroke. • The effect of Cucumis melo seeds on lipid profile and on atherosclerosis was evaluated in this study. The preliminary chemical tests reveal that Cucumis melo seed contains phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, amino acids, phenolic glycosides, chromone derivatives and trypsin inhibitors. • Cholesterol feeding alone however does not affect the serum TG level. Coconut oil is used in addition to cholesterol for significantly elevate serum TG level in rat model to evaluate the antihyperlipidemic activity. The present study shows that the continuous administration of cholesterol and coconut oil to all the animals for 28 days resulted in the elevation in major parameters of lipid profile including cholesterol, TG, VLDL-C, LDL-C, and reduction in HDL-C. A significant increase (p<0.01) in the body weight was also noticed in this animals during the study period. • Animals that received cholesterol diet with ethanolic extract of Cucumis melo showed considerable decline in the levels of TC, TG, and LDL. There was a significant promotion in HDL levels, indicating its efficacy in preventing atherosclerosis. Sufficient evidence is present with respect to the fact that HDL cholesterol is inversely related to total cholesterol and a decrease of HDL cholesterol and a decrease of HDL cholesterol level may accelerate the development of atherosclerosis leading to ischemic heart diseases. Due to the presence of phenolic glycosides especially flavonoids are responsible to increase the HDL and reduce LDL and VLDL levels in hypercholesterolemic rats. • The extent of hepatic damage in atherosclerosis can be assessed by the mean activities of serum transaminase and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). In the present study, the mean serum activities of AST, ALT, ALP, GGTP were significantly higher whereas LDH significantly lower in atherogenic diet-fed, saline-treated (Group II) rats than those in control rats (Table 11). However, the mean serum levels of AST, ALT, ALP, GGTP and LDH in atherogenic diet-fed rats that had been treated with Atorvastatin and EECM were significantly lower and LDH level significantly higher than those in Group II rats (Table 11). These observations suggest that the EECM both doses were able to protect the hepatic tissue from hypercholesterolemia-induced, oxidative stress-mediated cellular damage. • The role of oxidative stress in the development of atherosclerosis in the vascular wall via the generation of ROS. Protection against ROS and the breakdown products of peroxidase lipids and oxidised proteins is provided by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. • In the present investigation, the mean activities of the enzymatic antioxidants, SOD, CAT, GPx and MDA, in hepatic tissue samples from atherogenic dietfed, saline-treated rats, were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those noted in control rats (Tables 12). Reduced activity of these enzymes is associated with the accumulation of highly-reactive free radicals, leading to deleterious effects, such as loss of integrity and function of cell membranes. • Current study showed a significant increase in HDL level in animals treated with ethanolic extract of Cucumis melo (EECM) at doses of 250 and 500mg/kg which was almost comparable to Atorvastatin, the popular drug used currently in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. The decrease in the cholesterol is observed at 14th day, which continued till 28th day. This indicates the early onset of action of Cucumis melo. • However, the mean activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, and MOA in hepatic tissue samples from atherogenic diet-fed rats that had been treated with atorvastatin and EECM both doses were significantly higher than the values in atherogenic diet-fed, saline-treated rats (Tables 12). The higher mean activities of enzymatic antioxidants in High cholesterol diet-fed, EECM-treated rats was possibly due to quenching of oxygen free radicals. • The possible mechanism of Cucumis melo seed different extracts may involve increase of HDL-C, which is attributed to the mobilization of cholesterol from peripheral cells to the liver by the action of Lecithin Cholesterol O- acyltransferase (LCAT). An LCAT enzyme is involved in the transesterification of cholesterol, the maturation of HDL and the flux of cholesterol from cell membranes into HDL. The enzyme activity tends to decrease the diet-induced hyperlipidemia. Most of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are metabolized by the liver. Damage to the liver is assessed by a persistent elevated level of its aminotransferases. The consumption of high cholesterol diet leads to the formation of free radicals. These free radicals cause damage to the liver. • In this study, the consumption of high cholesterol diet for 28 days, lead to elevated levels of AST and ALT indicating the damage to the liver. Rats treated with atorvastatin (10mg/kg) showed a further decrease in AST and ALT levels. The animals treated with 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg of the ethanolic extract showed a decrease in the AST and ALT levels. • Atherogenic index is a strong marker to predict the risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart diseases. In the treatment groups, there is a significant reduction of atherogenic index (p≤0.0001) when compared to the disease control group. • Hypercholesterolemia-induced hepatic abnormalities can be confirmed by histopathological analysis. In the present investigation, histological examination of sections of liver and aorta from rats fed with an atherogenic diet and treated with saline alone, revealed marked changes in the liver, including foamy degeneration of the hepatocytes, fatty cysts and inflammation of hepatic tissue, while the thoracic aorta showed thickening of the aortic tunica adventitial layer, with relative damage of the tunica media layer; these findings are clearly consistent with the damage caused to liver and aorta in the atherosclerotic condition (Figure 21 and 27). However, treatment with both doses of EECM appeared to ameliorate or prevent the adverse effects, as suggested by the presence of only minimal or partial fatty changes. • Oxidative stress also increases serum LDL levels resulting in increased risk for development of atherosclerosis. Besides, malondialdehyde a secondary product of lipid peroxidation is a major reactive aldehyde; higher levels can lead to peroxidation of biological membranes. The present work shows that the animals treated with ethanolic extract of Cucumis melo seed have decreased levels of MDA which was confirmed by TBARS assay indicating its efficacy to reduce LDL oxidation. • A possible mechanism for lipid lowering effects of Cucumis melo may be due to reduced oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Through the overall correction of abnormalities in the lipid profile and by replenishment of oxidative stressdepleted antioxidants, the EECM extract, possibly provides a more efficient way to prevent the development of atherosclerosis. However, further studies are needed on this aspect to extrapolate the results obtained from the present investigation to the clinical setting. CONCLUSION: It may be suggested that the oral administration of Ethanolic extract of Cucumis melo (EECM) plays a positive role in atherogenic diet-fed rats, by virtue of its antihyperlipidemic and anti-oxidative properties, thereby retarding the progression of atherosclerosis in Wistar rats fed an atherogenic diet. • From this study, it is concluded that the ethanolic extract of the seeds of Cucumis melo posses promising antihyperlipidemic activity. The activity was pronounced at the higher dose of 500mg/kg than at the 250mg/kg dose. This antihyperlipidemic activity, however, was less than that of the standard drug Atorvastatin 10mg/kg, the levels continued to increase. • The atherogenic index and the lipid peroxidation levels were also better in the ethanolic extract of Cucumis melo seeds treated group of animals as compared to atorvastatin. This makes us believe that a combination of the ethanolic extract of Cucumis melo seed and Atorvastatin may improve the antihyperlipidemic effects of Atorvastatin while also protecting the liver. Further studies are required to confirm this and also to gain a better insight into the possible mechanism of action.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | 261925252 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Antihyperlipidemic Activity, Cucumis Melo Linn Seeds, High Fat Diet Induced Hyperlipidemia, Experimental Animals. |
| Subjects: | PHARMACY > Pharmacology |
| Depositing User: | Ramakrishnan J |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Dec 2021 06:13 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Aug 2022 04:30 |
| URI: | http://repository-tnmgrmu.ac.in/id/eprint/18843 |
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