The Effect of Methanolic Extract of Costus afer Leaves on the Lipid Profile of Chronically Stressed and Non-Stressed Male Wistar Rats

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of the methanolic extract of Costus afer leaves on the lipid profile of chronically stressed and non-stressed Wistar rats. A total of 30 male Wistar rats, weighing 180–220 g, were used for the study. The rats were divided into six (6) groups: Control group (CT), Stress group (STR), Costus afer 200 mg/kg body weight (CA1), Costus afer 400 mg/kg body weight (CA2), Stress + Costus afer 200 mg/kg body weight (STR + CA1), and Stress + Costus afer 400 mg/kg body weight (STR + CA2). The animals were maintained under standard laboratory conditions. The stress groups (STR, STR + CA1, STR + CA2) were subjected to a chronic unpredictable stress protocol (CUS) for 21 days to induce stress. After the initial 21 days of stress administration, the STR + CA1 and STR + CA2 groups were treated with Costus afer alongside another sequence of stress for an additional 21 days. The CT group received distilled water throughout the 42-day period, while the CA1 and CA2 groups were administered Costus afer extract. The STR group was exclusively stressed for 42 days. The lipid profile of all the animals was measured at the end of the experiment. The total cholesterol level in the STR group increased significantly (p < 0.01) compared with the control group. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and triglyceride levels increased significantly in the STR group (p < 0.0001, p < 0.05, and p < 0.05, respectively). The level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increased significantly in the CA2 (p < 0.05) and STR + CA1 (p < 0.05) groups, while it decreased significantly in the STR group (p < 0.05). The results of this study revealed that the methanolic extract of Costus afer leaves has an antilipidemic effect. The extract contains agents capable of depleting low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) levels in the body systems of rats.