Studies on the Effect of Aqueous Green Tea Extract on Lipid Profile and Vascular Reactivity in Hypercholesterolemic Albino Rats

Abstract

Background: Hypercholesterolemia is one of the most important risk factors for atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide, currently, there is a major trend to use herbal remedies for the treatment and prevention of hypercholesterolemia. Objective: In the present work, we investigated the effect of aqueous green tea extract on lipid profile and vascular reactivity & changes in body weight in hypercholesterolemic albino rats Materials and methods: Adult male albino rats were chosen as an animal model for this study. Rats were brought from animal house, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt, and were maintained on a balanced diet with water supply freely in clean containers. They were kept for two weeks to adapt to the laboratory conditions before the start of the experiment. Forty age-matched male albino rats with initial body weights ranging from 200 to 220g were used. Results: In group (III & IV), total cholesterol, LDL, and triglyceride levels were significantly decreased respectively& HDL were significantly increased compared with the group II (p < 0.05). also in group (III & IV) the aortic contractility is decreased and aortic relaxation were significantly increased compared with the group II (p < 0.05) & body weight was decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in group IV compared with the group II. Conclusion: The results obtained by the present study showed that administration of aqueous green tea extract to the hypercholsterolemic rats has a role in improvement of plasma lipids, vascular reactivity& body weight.