ABSTRACT
Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for development of coronary artery disease. Cassia auriculata is traditionally used in India for medicinal purposes. In this study, effect of ethanolic extract of Cassia auriculata flowers (Et-CAF) was investigated in Triton WR1339-induced hyperlipidemic rats. Treatment with the Et-CAF (450 mg/kg b.wt) significantly reduced the total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL) levels and significantly increased the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level associated with reduction of atherogenic index in hyperlipidemic rats. However, there was no change in the serum lipid profile of normal rats treated with Et-CAF alone. The results suggest that Et-CAF has a beneficial effect in treating hyperlipidemia and may serve as a potential drug for prevention of hyperlipidemic atherosclerosis.
Subject(s)
Animals , Blood Glucose/drug effects , Blood Glucose/metabolism , Body Weight/drug effects , Cassia/chemistry , Cholesterol/blood , Cholesterol/metabolism , Cholesterol, HDL/blood , Cholesterol, HDL/drug effects , Cholesterol, HDL/metabolism , Cholesterol, LDL/blood , Cholesterol, LDL/drug effects , Cholesterol, LDL/metabolism , Ethanol/chemistry , Flowers/chemistry , Hyperlipidemias/blood , Hyperlipidemias/chemically induced , Hyperlipidemias/drug therapy , Hypolipidemic Agents/isolation & purification , Hypolipidemic Agents/pharmacology , Hypolipidemic Agents/therapeutic use , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Triglycerides/blood , Triglycerides/metabolismABSTRACT
The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of cadmium (Cd) on the antioxidant status of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae serves as a good eukaryotic model system for the study of the molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress. We investigated the adaptative response of S. cerevisiae exposed to Cd. Yeast cells could tolerate up to 100 μM Cd and an inhibition in the growth and viability was observed. Exposure of yeast cells to Cd showed an increase in malondialdehyde and glutathione. The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were also high in Cd-exposed cells. The incorporation of Cd led to significant increase in iron, zinc and inversely the calcium, copper levels were reduced. The results suggest that antioxidants were increased and are involved in the protection against macromolecular damage during oxidative stress; presumably, these enzymes are essential for counteracting the pro-oxidant effects of Cd.