Antioxidant Status and Lipid Profile of Experimental Rats Fed Animal Fat and <i>Costus Afer</i> Plant (Ker Gawl) Part Diets

Costus afer is an ethnomedicinal plant used in Africa for the management of hyperglycemia. Influences of Costus afer plant parts on key indicators linked to hyperlipidemia and antioxidant enzyme status were determined in this study. HPLC analysis displayed quercetin (67.84 μg/g) as the most dominant phenolic in the leaf. Seven rats were placed on commercial diet as control while forty-two rats placed on beef fat (tallow)/Animal fat diet (AFD) for two-weeks were randomly assigned into six dietary groups (2–7) of seven rats each viz; Group 1 normal diet, Group 2 animal fat diet (AFD), while Groups 3–7 pre-fed AFD rats were placed on a second dietary regime of 10% w/w Costus afer leaf (Group 3), 20% w/w Costus afer leaf (Group 4), 10% w/w Costus afer rhizome (Group 5), 10% w/w Costus afer stem (Group 6), 10% w/w Costus afer root (Group 7) diet for the subsequent 14 days. Rats were afterwards sacrificed, and the serum, pancreas and liver tissues were excised for lipid profile and antioxidant assays. Serum levels of triglyceride, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol of rats fed Costus afer diets decreased significantly (P < 0.05), accompanied by significant increase in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentration (76.41 mg/dl) of group 4 leaf diet fed compared to Group 2 AFD fed rats (61.13 mg/dl). There was also a significant (P < 0.05) increase in liver SOD (36.17 U/mg protein (Group 2) to 50.98 U/mg protein (Group 3), GSH and Catalase (U/mg protein) activities in all treatment groups were higher compared to the AFD fed control group. Hence, Costus afer plant parts show functional potentials in attenuating hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress, thereby establishing the folkloric claims of the plant’s use in the management of oxidative stress related disorders.