Exploring the Role of Propolis on Lipid Profile of Wistar Rats with Induced Dyslipidemia

Obesity has now become a global epidemic with a high annual death rate. In many cases, it is accompanied by dyslipidemia, which may further result in complications. To alleviate dyslipidemia, various alternative complementary therapies have come to light, with propolis being one of them. However, the research on propolis effects on dyslipidemia is limited. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to analyze the impact of propolis supplementation in modulating lipid metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD)-model rats to explore its potential as an alternative complementary treatment for HFD-induced obesity in the near future. To measure lipid profile, blood was collected from the tail of male , separated into four groups, and underwent 12 weeks of obesity induction, continued by propolis supplementation 300 mg/kg for 4 weeks, then analyzed for lipid profile after the serum is separated. Using calorimetric assay, samples are mixed with Diasys reagent and run through Tecan Infinite M200 at a wavelength between 546 and 500 nm. The results showed that propolis supplementation at a dose of 300 mg/kg for 4 weeks effectively modulates the lipid profile of HFD-induced dyslipidemia. This was portrayed by a significant decrease in Total Cholesterol (TC) level (p ≤ 0.001) and Triglyceride level (p ≤ 0.01), accompanied by a rise in HDL in the HFDP group (p ≤ 0.001). To summarize, propolis may serve as a highly potential alternative complementary treatment for obesity and metabolic syndrome through pathways involved in dyslipidemia.