Abstract
BackgroundNigella sativa belonging to the Ranunculaceae family has been reported to use for thousands of years as protective and curative traditional medicine against a number of diseases. GC-MS analysis of methanolic extract (ME) and volatile oil (VO) extracted from Nigella sativa seed oil was performed by two different mass spectrometry libraries, WIlEY8 and NIST05s. The cholesterol lowering and antioxidant actions of VO and ME fractions were investigated in atherogenic suspension fed rats.MethodsIn this study, four groups of male Wistar rats were used: normolipidemic control (NLP-C), hyperlipidemic control (HLP-C), methanolic extract (HLP-ME) and volatile oil treated (HLP-VO) groups for 30 days of duration. P value < 0.05 was assumed as significant data in groups.ResultsAdministration of atherogenic suspension to male Wistar rats for 30 days resulted in a marked increase of plasma triglycerides and total cholesterol, and significant change in plasma lipoprotein levels along with a decrease in antioxidant arylesterase activity in hyperlipidemic control (HLP-C) group. The oral feeding of 100 mg ME or 20 mg VO per rat/day effectively reduced the plasma triglycerides to near normal level, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol and its subfraction along with arylesterase activity levels were significantly increased. The test fractions elicited a significant decrease in hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity. The fractions significantly blocked the ex vivo basal and in vitro maximal formation of conjugated diene and malondialdehyde, and lengthened the lag times of low density lipoprotein, small dense low density lipoprotein and large buoyant low density lipoprotein. ME possessing ω-6 linoleic acid along with palmitic acid active compounds was more effective than VO extract containing thymol and isothymol phenolic antioxidant compounds, thymoquinone phenolic compound common to the both extracts, via reduction in hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity as well as antioxidant mechanisms.ConclusionThe both extracts especially, ME significantly improve cardiovascular risk parameters in treated rats, and can be used in reactive oxygen species disorders such as cardiovascular diseases.
Highlights
Nigella sativa belonging to the Ranunculaceae family has been reported to use for thousands of years as protective and curative traditional medicine against a number of diseases
3-Hydroxy-3methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase is the key enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway that could be an important target of an inhibitor for managing blood cholesterol levels [12]
In order to understand the mechanisms of lipid lowering actions of these test fractions, we explored the hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity as well as their protective effect on HDL-linked arylesterase activity, in rats for 30 days
Summary
Nigella sativa belonging to the Ranunculaceae family has been reported to use for thousands of years as protective and curative traditional medicine against a number of diseases. In comparison to lb-LDL, sd-LDL is highly atherogenic because of the presence of properties like enhanced susceptibility to oxidation, higher penetration in the arterial wall, lower binding affinity to the LDL-receptor, and prolonged plasma half life [7,8]. It will be focusing attention on sd-LDL as a new precise and useful CHD marker [9,10,11]. There are several methods known to control blood cholesterol levels, including dietary fats, bile acids sequestering agents and use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. HMG-CoA reductase is the key enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway that could be an important target of an inhibitor for managing blood cholesterol levels [12]
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