Lipid-Modulating Effects of Malva sylvestris L. Immature Fruit Extract in a High-Fat-Diet Rat Model

Hyperlipidemia is a major driver of cardiovascular risk. Plant-derived agents are being explored as adjuncts to conventional therapy. The immature fruits of Malva sylvestris contain phenolics and flavonoids with putative lipidmodulating activity. To evaluate the antihyperlipidemic effects of an M. sylvestris immature-fruits extract (FrEx) in rats with dietinduced dyslipidemia. Male Wistar rats were randomized to normal chow (NC), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD+simvastatin (10 mg/kg), or HFD+M. sylvestris immature-fruit extract (FrEx; 100 or 200 mg/kg) for 30 days (n=10/group). Primary outcomes were serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL-C, LDL-C (Friedewald), VLDL-C (TG/5), and atherogenic index (AI=(TC−HDLC)/HDL-C). Safety endpoints were ALT, AST, ALP, BUN, creatinine, and relative liver weight. Relative to HFD controls, FrEx at 200 mg/kg reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides, increased HDL-C, and—based on recomputation using the stated formulas—lowered LDL-C and the atherogenic index. The magnitude of these changes was comparable to simvastatin for several endpoints. HFD increased relative liver weight and transaminases; FrEx-200 mitigated hepatomegaly and normalized enzymes toward NC. No mortality or clinical toxicity was observed in acute/subacute testing (up to 3500 mg/kg). A standardized M. sylvestris immature-fruits extract favorably modulates atherogenic lipids and liver indices in diet-induced dyslipidemia with a benign safety profile. These preclinical findings motivate compositional standardization and mechanistic studies targeting hepatic lipogenesis and inflammatory signaling