Anti-hyperlipidemic and Antioxidant Potential of Phenolic Monoterpenes Rich Thymus satureioides Coss. Volatile Oil

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects of the essential oil of Thymus satureioides and its main compounds. The profile of volatile phytochemicals was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Total phenolic compounds estimation and antioxidant activity assessment have been evaluated according to the literature models and the anti-hyperlipidemic activity was evaluated using triton wr-1339 induced hyperlipidemic rats model. Our findings revealed that thymol (26.6%) and carvacrol (25.9%) were the most abundant volatile constituents. Furthermore, the essential oil was found to be rich in phenolic components (6.50 ±0.14 GAE mg/g EO) and exhibits significant antioxidant potential (DPPH IC50=25.02 mg/mL; ABTS IC50=0.87 mg/mL). Additionally, the volatile oil displayed a potent lipid-lowering potential by reducing the levels of triglycerides (-68.78%), cholesterol (-36.34%), and non-HDL-C (-38.44%). This effect can be explained by its richness in thymol and carvacrol, which demonstrated a comparable anti-hyperlipidemic effect to that of simvastatin. We conclude that Thymus satureioides is a natural producer of lipid-lowering agents that can be used as a potential natural alternative treatment for managing hyperlipidemia.