Therapeutic Potential of Lesser-Known Vegetables in Managing Hypercholesterolemia in Rats

Aim: To identify some lesser-known vegetables and use their extracts to manage Hypercholesterolemia induced rats. Study Design: The study adopted experimental methods to evaluate the efficacy of lesser-known vegetable extracts in managing hypercholesterolemia in rats. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Small Animals experimental unit of the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau state, Nigeria and lasted for seven weeks. Methodology: Four vegetables were identified namely: Petroselinum crispum, Bidens pelosa, Launacea taraxacifolia and Vitex doniana. Extracts of the vegetables were derived using cold water extraction.  Acute toxicity test LD50 was conducted for the leaf extracts. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by feeding the rats with high fat diet. Which comprised of refined ground nut oil (13%), groundnut cake (3%), coconut oil (9%) and wheat flour (1%). The rats were grouped into 11 groups. Groups 1-4 were given 500 mg/kg body weight of vegetable extract and groups 5-8 were given 1000 mg/kg body weight of the same vegetable extracts. Rats in groups 9-11 were control groups. The first control (group 9) comprised of rats that were not induced and not treated (normal control). The second control (group 10) were rats that were induced and were not treated. The last control (group 11) were rats that were induced and treated with the standard drug Atorvastatin (standard control). The lipid profiles of the rats were determined. Results: The percentage yield of the vegetables extracts ranged from 11-15%. The results showed that the four aqueous leaf extracts were of good nutrient quality and within the safe level. All the groups except the first controls (unhypercholesterolemic untreated) had post-induction elevated lipid profiles. The leaf extracts showed anti-hypercholesterolemic properties by lowering the elevated lipid profile levels from a range of 96.45mg/dl - 88.78mg/dl to 26.40 – 20.68mg/dl and 97.80 – 90.85mg/dl to 26.78 – 16.70mg/dl, and elevating the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol from 51.82 – 37.50 to 60.33 – 58.80mg/dl and 40.30 – 36.68 to 52.56 – 65.78mg/dl for 500 and 1000mg/kg body weights of the rats, respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. This indicates the efficacy of the leaves in halting and reversing the effect of induction and high fat diet. Conclusion: The vegetables can serve as acceptable therapeutic agents of plant origin in hypercholesterolaemic and dyslipidaemic conditions with B. pilosa and L. taraxacifoliamost likely to produce more improved effect at a dose-dependent rate.