Changes in Lipid Profile of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extract of Blighia sapida in Rats

Abstract

Aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of Blighia sapida was assessed for some lipid profile parameters in normal albino rats. Daily administration of the extracts (50 and 100 mg/kg body weight) for 21 days showed that the extract significantly (p＜0.05) reduced the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol in all the treated groups when compared with the control. While significantly (p＜0.05) higher value was observed for the HDL-cholesterol of all the treated groups when compared with the control, this effect was observed as dose dependent for aqueous extract. For the atherogenic indices, there was a significant (p＜0.05) increase in HDL-cholesterol/Total cholesterol ratio, while LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol and log (TG/HDL-CH) ratio showed a significant (p＜0.05) decrease in treated groups compared to the control group. These findings may be of clinical importance to individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease.