Euphorbia lathyris L.-modulated hyperlipidemia induced by high-fat diet in an experimental animal model

Abstract

Background and objectives Hyperlipidemia has been embroiled in atherosclerosis, which is the primary factor of heart disease and stroke. An important aim in the pivotal restrain of atherosclerosis awaits an affordable and safe drug that will fundamentally confirm to have a great effect where treatment is decisive. Humans have been served by a variety of drugs extracted from a natural source, and the most of these cures were provided by higher plants. Materials and methods The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the hypolipidemic effect of Euphorbia lathyris L. extracts on high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia in rats, and it shows a scientific proof for expansion of E. lathyris L. as a prospect naturalistic oral hypolipidemic drug. Rats were administrated orally with cholesterol in a dose of 100 mg/1 ml olive oil/1 kg five times a week for 12 consecutive weeks. This was accomplished by assessing the activities of particular biochemical parameters associated with liver functions in tissue of high-fat-diet group when compared with those of control one. Liver function tests, included aspartate aminotransferases; alanine and alkaline phosphatases; antioxidants and oxidative stress biomarkers, such as glutathione, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase; total antioxidant capacity; nitric oxide; and lipid peroxide. In addition, lipid profile (cholesterol, total lipid, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglyceride) were also evaluated. Moreover, histological examination of liver, heart, and kidney was done to prove the biochemical outcomes. Results and conclusion The present findings strongly clarify defects in all biochemical measurements, such as increase in the malondialdehyde level and liver function enzyme activities. However, reductions in enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant in liver of hyperlipidemic rats were marked. On the contrary, treatment of hyperlipidemic rats with low and high dose of methanol and petroleum ether extract of E. lathyris natural product proved to have ameliorating effects in all biochemical parameters under investigation. The previous biochemical observations were also accompanied by histopathological examinations of the heart, liver, and kidney sections, which showed significant recovery of hepatocytes and amelioration in histological architectures of heart and kidney. It could be concluded that the two extracts of E. lathyris showed improvement in liver function enzyme activities, oxidant–antioxidant biomarkers, and lipid profile activities in liver of high-fat-diet rats.