Kalavarasariel Gopinathanpillai Prasanth1*, Eluri Kalpana1, Balasubramaniam Dineshkumar2, Elumalai Monogaran3, Govindharajalu Geetha4, Ramasamy Venkatanarayanan5
1Department of Pharmacology, PSG College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore-04, India.
2Department of Pharmaceutics, PSG College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore-04, India.
3School of Pharmacy, UCSI University, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia.
4Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, PSG College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore-04, India.
5Department of Pharmacognosy, RVS College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore-04, India.
Pharmacognosy Communications,2012,2,2,50-60
DOI: 10.5530/pc.2012.2.8
Published:April 2012
Type: Research Article
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Obesity is a major factor in causing of atherosclerosis. Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) may prevent atherosclerosis in high-fat diet-induced hypercholesteremic animals. However, the effect of tetrahydrocurcumin on HMG-CoA reductase and lipoprotein lipase enzymes levels in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemia rabbits remains unexamined. Therefore, beneficial effect of THC on HMG-CoA reductase and lipoprotein lipase enzymes levels in an animal model with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemia were examined. In addition, measurement of lipid parameters, anti-oxidant enzyme levels and histopathology studies were also performed. Methods: Healthy adult male New Zeland white rabbits (2.0 to 2.5 kg) were used in these studies. A high fatty diet was prepared and fed to the rabbits. Tetrahydroxycurcumin (THC) suspensions (40mg /kg and 80 mg/kg body weight) were given orally to the high-fat diet animals. Simvastatin (20mg/kg body weight) was used as standard drug. The blood was collected and measurement of lipid profiles and antioxidant enzymes levels were performed. In addition, the histopathology studies were performed for all groups. Results: Treatment with a high dose of THC (80 mg/kg) showed enhanced hypolipidemic activity compared to a lower dose of THC (40 mg/kg) in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemia animals. The THC suspensions also possess potent antioxidant activities as demonstrated by their enhanced superoxide dismutase, catalase activity and suppressed lipid peroxidase activity. THC (80 mg/kg) exhibited induction of lipoprotein lipase activity and significantly decreased cholesterogenesis in liver by reducing HMG-CoA reductase activity. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that THC at a dose 80 mg/kg prevented the development of atherosclerosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemia animals. These protective effects may be associated with the potent antioxidant activities of THC.
Key Words: Tetrahydrocurcumin, HMG-CoA reductase, lipoprotein lipase, atherosclerosis