Asystasia Research Articles

Serum lipid profile of hyperlipidemic rabbits (Lepus townsendii) treated with leaf extracts of Hibiscus rose-sinesis, Emilia coccinea, Acanthus montanus and Asystasia gangetica

There are efforts directed towards the search for medicinal plants capable of ameliorating hyperlipidemia. The present study sought to investigate the capacity of ethanolic leaf extracts of Hibiscus rose-sinesis, Emilia coccinea, Acanthus montanus and Asystasia gangetica to ameliorate hyperlipidemia in animal model. Hyperlipidemia was induced by placing experimental animals on lipogenic diet containing 2.5% cholesterol, 20% sunflower oil and 0.5% sodium cholate. Separate leaf extracts of the four plants (dose = 400 mg/kg) were administered to various groups of the experimental animals by intra peritoneal injection at regular time intervals of 12 h for 14 days. At the end of treatment, blood samples of the rabbits were measured for total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TAG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations. Generally, treatment of hyperlipidemic rabbits (HyL-Rs) with the four plant extracts caused different levels of lowered serum lipid components with concomitant elevation of HDL-C concentration. Specifically, the capacities of the four plant extracts to reduce serum levels of TC in the experimental animals were in the order: H. rose-sinesis > A. montanus > A. gangetica > E. coccinea. In addition, serum lipid profile (SLP) of HyL-Rs treated with extract of H. rose-sinesis was comparable with the control groups. The present study showed that the tendency but varied capacities of the four experimental plant extracts to alter SLP of HyL-Rs were associated with their phytochemical peculiarities, which suggested that certain phytochemicals exhibit hypolipidemic activity in vivo. Key words: Serum lipid profile, Hibiscus rose-sinesis, Emilia coccinea, Acanthus montanus and Asystasia gangetica.

Studies in the Genus Asystasia (Acanthaceae) in Tropical Africa II: Further New Species

Two new species of Asystasia are described; A. richardsiae which is endemic to Tanzania and A. albiflora which is more widespread and occurs in Tanzania, Zaire and Zambia. Both taxa are illustrated and their distribution mapped. Comparison of the two new taxa is also made with species that are considered most closely related to each, i.e. A. glandulosa Lindau and A. gangetica (L.) T. Anderson, respectively.