Evaluation Of Antioxidant And Hypolipidemic Potential Of Talinum Triangulare In Experimental Animals:- Iwuala Kingsley C

ABSTRACT

Talinum triangulare (T. triangulare) popularly known as water leaf is from the family ofportulacaceae, a perennial deciduous herb which has woody stems and succulent leaves. It has been researched to possess antioxidant property and hypolipidemic potential. Water leaf has been implicated medically in the management of cardiovascular diseases like stroke, obesity etc. and conventionally used as softener ofvegetable species. This study was designed to evaluate the invitro antioxidant activity and hypolipidemic potential of an ethanol extract of Talinum triangulare leaves (EETTL) in wistar albino rats. Fourteen (14) wistar albino rats of both sexes (12 experimentally induced hyperlipidemic rats) were divided randomly into seven (7) groups of two animals, each subjected to different treatment for 14 days. Group A was the non-high fat diet control; Group B was high-fat diet induced (hyperlipidemic) control; Group C received 20mg/kg of simvastatin (a standard lipid-lowering drug); Group D to G received 500mg/kg, 250mg/kg,125mg/kg, 62.25mg/kg BW respectively of EETTL of which all were still maintained on their high fat induced diet. At the end ofthe treatment, the lipid profile and body weight were estimated and compared with the simvastatin treated group. The result showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in Total cholesterol, Triglyceride and LDL-C while HDL-C was increased at the doses studied when compared to simvastatin with same effect. EETTL also caused a decrease in the rate of weight gain. In the invitro antioxidant test, there was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in percentage inhibition of DPPH, Nitric oxide scavenging activity and anti-lipid peroxidation activity of the treatedgroups when compared to the standard, vitamin C (97.72 ± 0.48, 99.00 ± 0.00 and 98.00 ± 0.00). This result has shown that Talinum triangulare has in vitro antioxidant activity and hypolipidemic potential which may provide therapeutic effects in the management of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and their complications which might be caused by free radical generation and hyperlipidemia.