Protective Effect of Yerba Mate on Rats Fed on High Cholesterol Diet- An Experimental Study

Abstract

Introduction: Yerba mate tea, a concoction made from the leaf extracts of the tree Ilex paraguariensis, is a broadly consumed non alcoholic beverage in Latin America which is gaining rapid introduction into the world market. Aim: To explore the influence of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) powder and beverage on induced hypercholesterolemic rats. Materials and Methods: The experiment was carried out for a duration of one year from February 2020 to January 2021 at University of Ha’il, Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, on 48 male Albino rats divided into six subgroups; Control (-) group: group fed a basal diet. Rats in the other five groups fed on basal diet containing 2% cholesterol+0.25% bile salts for two weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. Then those rats were subdivided into: control(+)group:groupthatremainedhypercholesterolemic.Yerba Mate Powdered (YMP) 15% group: fed on hypercholesterolemic diet+YMP15%; YMP 10% Group: fed on hypercholesterolemic diet+YMP10%; Yerba Mate Beverage (YMB) 15% group: fed on a hypercholesterolemic diet+YMB 15%; and YMB 10% group: fed on a hypercholesterolemic diet+YMB 10%. Results: It was found that, with increasing the amount of Yerba Mate powder or beverage, the total cholesterol, triglycerides, Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (LDL-C), Aspartate Transaminase (ALT), Alanine Transaminase (ALT), urea nitrogen and glucose levels decreased significantly (p<0.05) and the best result belonged to the group of rats that fed on Yerba Mate 15% powder. Conclusion: It can be concluded that, supplementation with high percentage of Yerba Mate powder (15%) exerts a positive impact on the lipid profile and other biochemical parameters in hypercholesterolemic rats.