Abstract
Thymus atlanticus, an endemic plant of Morocco, is traditionally used as a liniment or a drink to treat various diseases. However, there are few available scientific data regarding its biological effects. In this connection, the present study aimed to investigate the hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of aqueous extract and polyphenol fraction of Thymus atlanticus in Syrian golden hamsters treated with Triton WR-1339 (triton, 20 mg/100 g body weight). The hamsters orally received the extracts (400 mg/kg), and blood samples were collected after 24 h of treatment to determine plasma lipid, insulin, and fasting blood glucose levels. Plasma malondialdehyde level and plasma total antioxidant (TAS) were also evaluated. The T. atlanticus extracts significantly decreased triglycerides, total cholesterol, VLDL-C, and LDL-C and increased HDL-C when compared with the hyperlipidemic group. Both extracts suppressed the effect of the triton injection on TAS and reduced the level of plasma malondialdehyde. The extracts produced no significant change in the blood glucose level but effectively prevented the mild hyperinsulinemia induced by triton. These findings suggest that T. atlanticus may be a useful alternative treatment for the control of hyperlipidemia and its related diseases.
Highlights
Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factors of atherosclerosis diseases [1]
Hyperlipidemia is associated with increased incidence of atherosclerosis, which is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, coronary artery disease, and peripheral artery disease [2]. erefore, the reduction in the levels of plasma lipid is the main strategy for the control of the progressivity of cardiovascular diseases [3]
The hamster is endowed with cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) and all the enzymatic pathways of the metabolism of lipoproteins and bile [16, 17]. erefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the aqueous extract and the polyphenol fraction of T. atlanticus on the plasma lipid concentrations and the antioxidant status in acute hypolipidemic hamsters
Summary
Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factors of atherosclerosis diseases [1] It is defined as high plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). A preliminary screening of some ymus species from Morocco for hypolipidemic activity indicated that T. atlanticus showed possible hypolipidemic effects in a rat model [5] In this latter study, the rats were treated with a high dose of aqueous extracts of the selected plants and the rat model is not an appropriate model for evaluating the hypolipidemic drugs because it has very low level of LDL-C and high level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) [15]. Erefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the aqueous extract and the polyphenol fraction of T. atlanticus on the plasma lipid concentrations and the antioxidant status in acute hypolipidemic hamsters The hamster is endowed with cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) and all the enzymatic pathways of the metabolism of lipoproteins and bile [16, 17]. erefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the aqueous extract and the polyphenol fraction of T. atlanticus on the plasma lipid concentrations and the antioxidant status in acute hypolipidemic hamsters
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