Evaluation of hypolipidemic Marrubium vulgare effect in Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemia in mice.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the hypocholesterolemic and hypotriglyceridemic activities of four Marrbium vulgare herb extracts using Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemia in mice.

METHODS

Hyperlipidemia was developed by intraperitoneal injection of Triton (200 mg/kg body weight). The animals were divided into main four groups of eight mice each: normal control group, hyperlipidemic control group, hyperlipidemic plus tween-40 control and treated group. The fourth one was divided into four subgroups, petroleum ether extract group, chloroform extract group, ethyl acetate extract group and methanol extract treated group each of them contains two sub-sub group for treating animals with two doses at 0.1 and 0.25 LD50.

RESULTS

After 7 h and 24 h of treatment, the intragastric administration of all extracts caused a significant decrease of plasma total cholesterol. Triglyceride levels were also significantly lowered by all extracts while petroleum ether produced the lowest decreasing level. Similar results were observed for LDL-cholesterol concentrations. Furthermore, more polar extracts (methanol and ethyl acetate)-soluble fractions showed a significant ameliorative action on elevated atherogenic index (AI) and LDL/HDL-C ratios, while these atherogenic markers were not statistically suppressed by the chloroform and petroleum ether-soluble extract.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicated that Marrubium may contain polar products able to lower plasma lipid concentrations and might be beneficial in treatment of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.