EFFECT OF BETA VULGARIS L. ON
CHOLESTEROL RICH DIET-INDUCED
HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA IN RATS
MOHAMMED AL-DOSARI1, SALEH ALQASOUMI1, MAJID
AHMAD2, MOHAMMED AL-YAHYA1, M. NAZAM ANSARI2, SYED
RAFATULLAH1*
1Department of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal, Aromatic & Poisonous
Plants Research Center (MAPPRC), College of Pharmacy, P.O. Box
2457, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
2Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Alkharj
University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
∗ corresponding author: srafat@ksu.edu.sa
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Abstract:
The lyophilized aqueous extract of Beta vulgaris L. (beet root) (BVE) was
investigated for its possible antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidant potential in cholesterol rich diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in Wistar albino rats. Hypercholesterolemia was induced in rats by feeding 1% cholesterol rich diet for 10 weeks. Lipid profile and glucose were estimated in serum. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and non-protein sulfhydryls (NP-SH) levels were measured in liver and heart. Hypercholesterolemic rats
showed a significant increase in total cholesterol and triglycerides and a significant decrease in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. BVE at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight for 70 consecutive days showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol and triglycerides and significant increase in HDL-C. Furthermore, hypercholesterolemic rats showed free radical generation (lipid peroxidation), evident by a significant increase in MDA level and a significant reduction in NP-SH content in both liver and heart homogenates. BVE treatment significantly decreased MDA level and significantly replenished the reduced NP-SH content in both liver and heart tissue. The acute toxicity test of BVE showed no mortality or morbidity in rats. The findings indicate that BVE has a significant antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidant potential and/or free radical scavenging properties in hypercholesterolemic, rats possibly exerted by the phytoconstituents present in the beet root.
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