ANTI-HYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITY OF LEAVES OF Sphaeranthus indicus ON ATHEROGENIC DIET INDUCED HYPERLIPIDEMIC IN RATS

Hyperlipidemia is a secondary metabolic imbalance associated with diabetes. Besides this, elevated serum level of triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL are major risk factors for the premature development of cardiovascular disease like arthrosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. The leaves of Sphaeranthus indicus Lam., belongs to Asteraceae family, are used by the Indians in their herbal medicine as a hypolipidemic agent in obese patients. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the metholic extract of the leaves of S. indiucus for anti hyperlipdemic activity. Albino Wistar rats were fed with methanolic extract of S. indicus (100, 200mg/kg, p.o.) and Gemfibrozil (10 mg/kg, p.o.) along with hyperlipidemic diet for 30 days. S. indicus, Gemfibrozil were found to lower the serum cholesterol, triacylglyceride, VLDL, LDL (p<0.001), and atherogenic index,(p<0.05) but were found to increase the HDL(p>0.001) as compared to the corresponding high fed cholesterol diet group (control). The S.indicus methanolic extract was also investigated on liver total cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemic rats. This study demonstrates that S. indicus possesses a hypolipidemic effect