PHARMACOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT, PHYTOCHEMICAL ESTIMATION AND HYPERLIPIDEMIC POTENTIAL OF MEDICINAL PLANT OXALIS STRICTA EXTRACT ON EXPERIMENTAL RATS

Background: Hyperlipidemia, accompanied by oxidative stress, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. Oxalis stricta, traditionally used in folk medicine, has not been extensively validated for its therapeutic efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic, and hepatoprotective potential of the methanolic extract of O. stricta leaves in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic rats. Methods: Fresh leaves of O. stricta were collected, authenticated, shade-dried, and successively extracted using petroleum ether and methanol. The extracts were evaluated for phytochemical constituents, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity by the DPPH assay. Acute oral toxicity was studied following OECD guideline 423. Hyperlipidemia was induced by feeding Wistar rats an HFD for 21 days. Animals were divided into five groups (n = 6): normal control, HFD control, lovastatin (10 mg/kg), and two test groups receiving methanolic extract (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.). Body weight, lipid profile, serum glucose, and liver enzymes were analyzed. Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC approval no. 1649/PO/Re/S/11/CCSEA). Results: Soxhlet extraction yielded 2.11% methanolic extract, rich in phenolics (64.6 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (17.66 mg RE/g). The extract demonstrated dose-dependent antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ of 51.27 µg/mL versus 20.09 µg/mL for ascorbic acid. In vivo, the 200 mg/kg dose significantly reduced body weight gain (286.97 ± 3.45 g vs. 319.86 ± 1.84 g in HFD control), lowered total cholesterol (1.27 ± 0.16 g/L) and LDL-C (0.33 ± 0.16 g/L), while elevating HDL-C (0.50 ± 0.06 g/L). It also reduced liver enzymes, including ALP (120.30 ± 53.23 U/L vs. 179.90 ± 34.38 U/L in HFD). Results were dose-dependent and comparable to lovastatin. Conclusion: Methanolic extract of O. stricta exhibited potent antioxidant, lipid-lowering, and hepatoprotective effects, validating its ethnomedicinal use and supporting its potential as a natural therapeutic candidate for metabolic disorders.