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Introduction: The incidence and complications of hyperlipidemia associated co-morbidities and mortalities are grossly increasing globally. Intervention with natural products preparation has been identified as an alternative for the management of hyperlipidaemia and its related cardiovascular complications. This study investigated the anti-hyperlipidaemic activities of a mixture of Zinger officinale, Allium sativum, Citrus lemon, honey, and Malus domestica vinegar (ZACAH) extracts in in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats fed with high cholesterol diet. Methods: Thirty-six male SD rats were randomly distributed into 6 groups, including normal chow diet-fed (NC), high cholesterol diet (HCD), HCD+ Simvastatin (standard drug) while the remaining three groups were fed with HCD + ZACAH extracts at different doses (1, 3 and 5mg/kg body weight) for 18 weeks. Simvastatin at 10 mg/kg of bodyweight was used as control. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine phenolic compounds present in ZACAH extracts, elastase inhibitory assay was determined using spectrometric with a substrate (N-Succ-(Ala)3-pnitroanilide (SANA) while 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was performed based by the method described by Blois, 1958. Results: In vitro; ZACAH extracts had oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value of 2000 µmol TE/100 mL, total phenolic content (TPC) of 7537 ± 54.5%, DPPH free radical scavenging activity of 27.34 ± 2.71%, elastase inhibitory assay of 29.29 ± 1.65% and lipoxygenase inhibitory assay of 98.58 ± 1.42%. In vivo, ZACAH extracts showed decreased bodyweight, adipose tissue, improved lipid profiles and hepatic biochemical enzymes. Conclusion: These results suggested that ZACAH extracts supplementation improved hyperlipidaemia in SD rats and might be a promising adjuvant for the treatment of hyperlipidaemia.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is responsible for a notable rise in the overall mortality rate. Obesity is found to be one of the main factors behind CRC development. Andrographis paniculata is a herbaceous plant famous for its medicinal properties, particularly in Southeast Asia for its anti-cancer properties. This study examines the chemopreventive impact of A. paniculata ethanolic extract (APEE) against a high-fat diet and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colon cancer in Sprague Dawley rats. Sprague Dawley rats were administered 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (40 mg/kg, i.p. once a week for 10 weeks) and a high-fat diet (HFD) for 20 weeks to induce colorectal cancer. APEE was administered at 125 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg for 20 weeks. At the end of the experiment, blood serum and organs were collected. DMH/HFD-induced rats had abnormal crypts and more aberrant crypt foci (ACF). APEE at a dose of 500 mg/kg improved the dysplastic state of the colon tissue and caused a 32% reduction in the total ACF. HFD increased adipocyte cell size, while 500 mg/kg APEE reduced it. HFD and DMH/HFD rats had elevated serum insulin and leptin levels. Moreover, UHPLC-QTOF-MS analysis revealed that APEE was rich in anti-cancer phytochemicals. This finding suggests that APEE has anti-cancer potential against HFD/DMH-induced CRC and anti-adipogenic and anti-obesity properties.

Natural products derived from plants are used to treat cancer due to fewer side effects compared to standard treatments available for cancer. The second highest cancer that causes death worldwide is lung cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the cytotoxic activity of hot and cold aqueous extract of E. tapos seed and shell on human cancer cell line A549 as well as the apoptosis mechanism. The apoptosis mechanisms were evaluated by cell viability (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide tetrazolium reduction assay; MTT assay), Hoechst 33358 staining and detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity. The apoptosis inducing activity was analyzed in set of morphological and biochemical features. Hot aqueous shell extract (SHH) showed an anti-proliferative effect at the IC50 of 49.8 ± 0.06 µg/mL correlated with apoptosis induction by increasing the ROS activity by significant (p < 0.05) increase of 3.25 folds compared to control. Results suggest that SHH poses an anti-proliferative effect on account of apoptosis through ROS mediated mitochondria mutilation.

Maternal obesity is a metabolic disorder described by chronic inflammation and an increase of stress hormones, influencing non-communicable diseases in offspring. Elateriospermum tapos has the potential as an antioxidant and inhibitor of lipids (pancreatic lipase) and carbohydrates (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) which are beneficial to combat obesity and diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of E. tapos supplementation in obese rats prior to pregnancy on the dam and male offspring body weight and the level of stress hormones—adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT). Thirty female Sprague Dawley rats were used in this study. Six rats were assigned to a normal diet (DND) group fed with a standard chow diet. The remaining rats were fed with a high-fat and cafeteria diet (HFCD) to generate obesity for five weeks. The obese rats were further divided into four groups (n = 6/group); dams negative control group (DNC, normal saline), dams positive control group (DPC, 200 mg/kg body weight of orlistat), dams treatment 1 group (DTX1, 200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos seed) and dams treatment 2 group (DTX2, 200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos shell). The treatment was given for six weeks daily before mating. At weaning, male offspring were designated into six groups according to their dam’s group (n = 6/group) and continued with the cafeteria diet except for the control group. The offspring were culled at 12 weeks of age for blood sample collections. DTX2 and their male adult offspring showed significantly lower body weight compared to DNC and their male offspring. Male offspring from DTX2 also showed significantly low ACTH and CORT levels compared to male offspring from the DNC group and a comparable level with the DND group. E. tapos shell supplementation was effective in reducing the development of obesity and suppressed stress through the regulation of ACTH and CORT release in male adult offspring.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Elateriospermum tapos aqueous extract supplementation on serum leptin of male offspring at weaning. A total of 30 female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to two groups, where the control group (CG) consisted of six rats and the remaining rats had obesity-induced over five weeks with a high-fat diet pellet and cafeteria food. After five weeks, the obese group was further divided into four groups, a negative control group (NG), positive control group (PG) (orlistat 200 mg/kg), treatment 1 (TX1) (200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos seed) and treatment 2 (TX2) (200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos shell) for 6 weeks. After six weeks, all rats were mated and continued with their respective diet till weaning. One male pup from each dam culled at weaning (postnatal day 21 (PND21)). The results show that body weight in male offspring (M) from negative group dams (NG) was significantly heavier as compared to other pup groups. Total adipose tissue weight in MTX1 and MTX2 of the male offspring was also significantly lower compared to MNG. In mums, serum leptin of NG was significantly higher as compared to the CG group, whereas both treatment groups showed a significant reduction in serum leptin compared to the NG group. In pups, the MTX2 group showed a more substantial reduction in body weight and serum leptin compared to other pups from other mother’s groups. In conclusion, E. tapos aqueous extract supplementation has a greater effect on ameliorating maternal obesity effects on male offspring by lowering body weight, inhibit fat deposition, and reducing serum leptin.

In this study, the ability of Tinospora crispa aqueous extract (TCAE) to regulate cholesterol metabolism in human hepatoma cancer cell line (Hep G2) was determined. Cytotoxic study was performed by exposing hepatoma cell (Hep G2) towards TCAE with concentration ranging from 0.002 to 20 mg/ml for 24 h at 37°C and with 5% CO2 atmosphere. Result revealed that TCAE was not toxic to the cell. The ability of TCAE to reduce cholesterol in cell culture experiment was carried out by pre-treating Hep G2 with selected concentrations of TCAE (10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 and 0.625 mg/ml) in 6-well plate before the cell was exposed to low density lipoprotein (LDL). The concentration of apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1), lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), scavenger receptor B1 (SRB1) and hepatic Lipase (HL) which involve in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) pathway were determined from the 6-well plate medium. The direct pathway of cholesterol synthesis was performed according to the instruction provided in HMG-CoA Reductase Assay Kit manuals. The results showed that TCAE significantly increase (p

Obesity and overweight are associated with atherosclerosis, fatty liver, hyperlipemia, diabetes mellitus, and various types of cancer. The global prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Here, we investigated the effect of Tamarindus indica pulp aqueous extract (TIE) in diet-induced obese Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were divided into five groups and labeled as follows: the normal control (NC) group received normal diet; the positive control (PC) group received high-fat diet; and the TIE 5, 25, and 50 groups, after the induction of obesity via a high-fat diet, received TIE at 5, 25, or 50 mg/kg orally for 10 weeks. It was observed that TIE decreased the levels of plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride, and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), with the concomitant reduction of body weight. Moreover, TIE decreased plasma leptin and reduced fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity and enhanced the efficiency of the antioxidant defense system. TIE exhibits antiobesity effects, as indicated by a significant reduction in adipose tissue weights, as well as lowering the degree of hepatic steatosis in the obesity-induced rats. The extract possesses hepatoprotective activity, as it reversed the plasma liver enzymes level elevation prior to the high-fat diet. In conclusion, TIE improved obesity-related parameters in blood, liver, and adipose tissue in a rat model and suppressed obesity induced by a high-fat diet, possibly by regulating lipid metabolism and lowering plasma leptin and FAS levels. A dose-dependant effect of TIE is detected, where TIE at 50 mg/kg showed the most prominent effect, followed by TIE at 25 mg/kg and, subsequently, 5 mg/kg.

It is imperative that there be a diet designed specifically to improve lipid profile in order to impede the progress of atherosclerosis. Because rice is a staple food in Asia, it will be chosen as the diet of interest. This study sets out to discover whether consumption of different processed rice diets may result in a change of the lipid profile. The experiment was done on male New Zealand white rabbits after 10 weeks of treatment with diet containing 0.5% cholesterol. The experimental diets include white rice (WR), brown rice (BR), and germinated brown rice (GBR). Among them, rabbits fed a GBR diet demonstrated significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), LDL/HDL, and atherogenic index (AI) and a higher level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Results from atherosclerotic plaque assessment further support the findings. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), which acts as an indicator for oxidative stress, was also reduced by GBR diet. The positive change in lipid profile in the rabbits fed GBR appeared to correspond with the higher amounts of γ-oryzanol, tocopherol, and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content.

Antioxidant activity of different rice extract and the effect on the levels of antioxidant enzyme activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), vitamin E, lipid peroxidation and liver enzymes in hyperlipidaemia rabbits were investigated. Germinated brown rice (GBR) has the highest antioxidant activity compared to white rice (WR) and brown rice (BR). All rice grains increased the activity of SOD and GPx. However, vitamin E levels increased only in the groups that received the BR and GBR diets. The reduction of lipid peroxidation levels and activity of hepatic enzymes (alanine transferase, ALT and aspartate transaminase, AST) were only significantly observed in the GBR group. In conclusion, GBR supplementation has the greatest impact on increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and vitamin E level and on reducing lipid peroxidation in hypercholesterolaemia rabbit, thereby preventing the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Furthermore, GBR diet can also reduce the level of hepatic enzymes.

Atherosclerosis is a pathology related to oxidative stress and inflammation. Prevention of atherosclerosis can be achieved by blocking the oxidation and inflammation process that occurs on the endothelial cells. Tinospora cispa, a climber that is commonly found in primary rainforest is widely distributed in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. T. cispa which has been claimed to exert various health promoting effects has been reported to possess anti-diabetic, anti-malarial and anti-inflammatory properties. This study sought to investigate the effect of T. crispa extracts in preventing oxidative stress and inflammation induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)–α, respectively. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured on 6-wells plate before treated by TCAE and TCME at various concentrations (100, 200, 400 and 600 µg/ml). After 30 min of incubation, H2O2 or TNF-α (10 ng/ml) was administered on HUVECs. HUVECs were harvested after 24 h and tested for CAT, SOD, GPx, MDA, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and NO using various kit. The result showed that TCAE and TCME showed modulatory effect on H2O2-induced CAT, SOD and GPx activity. Concomitantly, MDA level was reduced by pretreatment of TCAE and TCME for 24 h. In addition, TCAE and TCME showed an inhibitory effect on TNF-α induced secretion of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 signaling molecule while NO secretion was increased. Therefore, these results showed a protective effect of T. crispa extracts on the H2O2–induced oxidative stress and TNF-α-induced inflammation. Key words: Atherosclerosis, Tinospora crispa, oxidative stress, inflammation, H2O2, TNF-α, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).