FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING AND ANTIOXIDANT IMPACT OF AZADIRACHTA INDICA ON COPPER MEDIATED OXIDATIVE MODIFICATION OF LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN NORMAL/ DIABETIC LIPIDEMIC SUBJECTS

Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes, working together with their support network and their health care providers, can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications. A diabetes epidemic is underway. An estimated 30 million people world-wide had diabetes in 1985. By 1995, this number had shot up to 135 million. The latest WHO estimate (for the number of people with diabetes, world-wide, in 2000) is 177 million. This will increase to at least 300 million by 2025. The number of deaths attributed to diabetes was previously estimated at just over 800,000. Atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease have been considered as major health problem worldwide. The clinical presentations of atherosclerosis mainly involve the coronary and carotid arteries, which remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in both men and women of all racial groups with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) the leading cause of death worldwide. Excessive dietary lipids and cholesterol are the major factor of relevance for the development of hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, two important cardiovascular risk factors. Abnormalities in lipid profiles, folate metabolism and other traditional risk factors (e.g., diabetes mellitus and hypertension) play a rather peripheral role and serve to amplify the atherosclerotic process initiated by persistence of infection and inflammation. Infection and inflammation are accompanied by cytokine induced alterations in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Of note, inflammatory cytokines are increased and play a pathogenic role in a variety of very common disorders, such as diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, chronic heart failure, chronic renal failure, and atherosclerosis. Based on our study of free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties of ethanolic Neem (leaves), Aq. Neem (leaves), Aq. Niboli, Aq. Bark and ethanolic Bark on copper mediated oxidative modification of LDL in normallipidemic subjects, administration of ethanolic Neem (leaves), Aq. Neem(leaves), Aq. Niboli, Aq. Bark and ethanolic Bark may be useful in the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia/hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis and other oxidative stress mediated diseases. In addition, use of these herbal plant extracts will be efficacious, cost effective and involves no risk of side-effects.