ABSTRACT

 This study was carried out to ascertain the effect of ethanol seed extract of Cola lepidota K. Schum on weight reduction and antioxidative status of fifty four (54) female Wistar rats weighing 80-90 g at six (6) weeks olage and led high fat diet. Animals were divided into nine (9) experimental groups each comprising six female rats. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of fiavonoids. terpenoids. steroids, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins in Cola lepidofa seeds. Fatty acid components of the extract using GC-MS showed that linoleic acid methyl ester was the most prominent fatty acid in the extract. The LD50of the seed extract was? 5000 mg/kg and percentage yield of 200 g of the ethanol seed extract was 0.25%. Anthropometric measurements showed that abdominal circumference (A C) (cm), thoracic circumference (TC) (cm), and body length (BL) (cm) of rats in all the groups increased progressively (P 0.05) throughout the 80 days experimental period. Groups 2 and 6 recorded significantly high mean body weights (g) at 441.33 ± 2.87 g and 359.13 ± 8.95 g respectively and high mean BMI (g/cm2) at 0.73 + 0.01 g/cm2and 0.67 + 0.01 g/cm2respectively at the end of the experiment when compared with the rest of the groups whereas alter 501h day of treatment, groups 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 recorded percentage weight loss at 24.4%, 16.63%. 1 7. 15%, 21 .29%, 16.6% and 26.25% respectively while their mean BMI (g/cm2) was restored towards the end olthe experiment when compared to group I. Group I (Normal control) recorded a BMl range of 0.34 + 0.00 g/cm2to 0.44 + 0.00 g/cm2during the experimental period. The normal BMl range for all the groups fall between 0.34 ± 0.00 g/cm2and 0.44 + 0.00 g/cm2. Any BMI value above 0.44 ± 0.00 g/cm2is considered an indicator for overweight in this study. AC/TC ratio was not a consistent indicator to measure overweight/obesity predisposition in the rats as there were statistical similarities between groups I and 2 at several points during the experimental period. Lee index (LI) showed that groups 2 and 6 were statistically similar (P> 0.05) and were more predisposed to developing cardiovascular events than the rest of the groups. Results also showed that group 2 experienced more lipid peroxidation than the rest of the groups as it recorded highest serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (tmol/mg protein) and atherogenic index than the rest of the study groups. This makes it more prone to developing cardiovascular disease than the rest of the groups. In vi/ro analysis results showed that the seed extract had effective antioxidant activities against DPPH and N0 radicals while having weak ferric reducing antioxidant property. The in vivo antioxidant assay results showed that combination therapy with extract and the test drugs probably elicited synergistic effects on antioxidalion activities of either. Serum lipid profile results revealed that a daily dose of 300 mg/kg of either seed extract alone or combination with test drugs influenced the reduction of TCI-1, TG, VLDL-C and LDL-C concentrations while improving the concentration of HDL-C. In vitro and in viva results showed that Cola lepidota seed is a natural source of antioxidants as well as possessing weight-reducing activities on high fat fed Wistar rats suitable of preventing or ameliorating overweight in these animals.