Cholesterol lowering effect in the gall bladder of dogs by Herniaria hirsuta

Abstract

Infusions of Herniaria hirsuta L., H. glabra L. and H. fontanesii J. Gay (Caryophyllaceae) are well known in Moroccon folk medicine for the treatment of biliary dyskinesia, (uro)lithiasis or as a diuretic, and in Europe as an urological drug [1, 2]. An in vivo experiment to evaluate the cholesterol lowering effect of a decoction of H. hirsuta in the gall bladder of dogs was carried out. Three groups of dogs i.e. control dogs (CG), dogs treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (2 × 7.35 mg/kg body weight/day) and dogs treated with the standardized decoction (HG) (2 × 48.5 mg/kg body weight/day) were fed a fatty diet during 120 days after which a diet without additional fat was introduced till day 180 [3]. Treatment started 30 days after the start of the fatty diet and lasted until the end of the experiment. A bile and blood sample of each dog was collected every 30 days, after which the cholesterol level was determined. The in vivo experiments already showed a minor difference for bile cholesterol between CG and HG after 30 days of treatment with the decoction, and a more pronounced difference after 90 days of treatment. Even 30 days after discontinuation of the cholesterol-rich diet a significant difference remained between CG and HG. There was no significant difference in blood cholesterol between the groups. Prolonged use of this standardized H. hirsuta extract resulted in a cholesterol-lowering effect in the bile of dogs. Since this pharmacological effect prevents the formation of gallstones and can contribute to solving existing gallstones, a standardized decoction of H. hirsuta may have a positive effect in the treatment of gallstones in human patients.