- IBEZUTE Albert Chukwuemeka*, OBIRE Okiemute Precious & OMAJAJAH Ejiroghene
- Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, College of Sciences, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, P.M.B. 1221, Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria
- DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20330654
Dyslipidaemia is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular
disease; and plant-derived bioactive compounds are increasingly investigated
for lipid management. This study assessed the hypolipidaemic effects of aqueous
leaf extracts of Solanum aethiopicum (SA), Amaranthus hybridus
(AH), Pterocarpus mildbraedii (PM), Ocimum gratissimum (OG) and Telfairia
occidentalis (TO) in male Wistar rats over 60 days. Animals were assigned
to a control group or to treatment with each extract at low, medium, or high doses.
Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were measured using standard assay
kits. Dose had a significant effect on TC (F = 4.539, p = 0.014), whereas
extract type and the interaction were not significant. Numerically, SA produced
the largest TC reduction, decreasing from 79.58 ± 7.35 mg/dL in controls to
50.85 ± 1.07 mg/dL at high dose, followed by PM (~62–63 mg/dL) and TO (64.75 ±
0.60 mg/dL). TG declined without statistical significance (F = 2.244, p =
0.115); SA decreased TG from 219.83 ± 8.96 to 193.36 ± 7.75 mg/dL. HDL
increased significantly with both dose (F = 45.016, p < 0.001) and vegetable
(F = 17.210, p < 0.001), peaking in PM (19.63 ± 1.48 mg/dL) and TO (17.44 ±
0.12 mg/dL) versus control (10.38 ± 0.78 mg/dL). LDL showed modest dose-related
reductions (F = 2.776, p = 0.068). The extracts produced dose-dependent TC
lowering and pronounced HDL elevation, with SA, PM and TO showing the most
favourable numerical effects.
