EVALUATION AND PHOTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITY OF TERMINALIA ARJUNA

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the phytochemical constituents, antihyperlipidemic activity, and antioxidant potential of the ethanolic extract of Terminalia arjuna in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic rats. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, saponins, glycosides, and triterpenoids, which are known for their therapeutic properties. Acute toxicity studies performed according to OECD guidelines indicated that the extract was safe at the tested dose levels. Hyperlipidemia was induced in Wistar albino rats by administration of a high-fat diet for the experimental period. The animals were divided into five groups: normal control, hyperlipidemic control, standard drug-treated group, and two test groups receiving Terminalia arjuna ethanolic extract at doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg respectively. Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg) was used as the standard drug. Various biochemical parameters including body weight, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL, LDL, VLDL, creatinine, urea, uric acid, AST, ALT, and ALP were evaluated. Antioxidant parameters such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, reduced glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxidation (MDA) were also estimated. The hyperlipidemic control group showed significant increases in body weight, serum lipid profile, liver enzyme markers, renal parameters, and lipid peroxidation levels, along with decreased HDL and antioxidant enzyme levels. Treatment with Terminalia arjuna extract significantly reduced TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, AST, ALT, ALP, creatinine, urea, uric acid, and MDA levels while increasing HDL, SOD, catalase, and GSH levels when compared with the hyperlipidemic control group. The high-dose extract (400 mg/kg) demonstrated greater pharmacological activity and produced results comparable to atorvastatin. the study indicate that Terminalia arjuna possesses significant antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant activities, which may be attributed to the presence of bioactive phytoconstituents. Thus, the plant extract may serve as a potential natural therapeutic agent for the management of hyperlipidemia and associated oxidative stress. Keywords: Hyperlipidemia, Terminalia arjuna, Antihyperlipidemic activity, Antioxidant activity, High-fat diet, Lipid profile, Flavonoids, Oxidative stress, Atorvastatin, Phytochemical screening.