Anticholesterol activity of velvet bean (mucuna pruriens l.) towards hypercholesterolemic rats

Abstract

Hypercholesterolemia is the main risk factor of atherosclerosis which was directly related to coronary heart disease. Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens L) is predicted to have potential anticholesterolemia since our previous study showed that this plant had high antioxidant activity. The purpose of this research was to determine the anticholesterol activity of crude extract and ethyl acetate fraction of velvet bean compared to simvastatin and vitamin E in decreasing the plasma level of cholesterol total, LDL and triglyceride and increasing the HDL level on hypercholesterolemic rats. Thirty male Wistar rats, divided into ten groups. Group 1 was fed with standard diet as negative control group and all the other groups were fed with high-fat diet and were given fructose solution. Significantly high-fat diet and fructose solution could increase the level of cholesterol total, LDL- cholesterol and triglyceride and decrease the level of HDL-cholesterol compare to the negative control group. The treatment groups were given 3 various dose of crude extract (50, 100, 200 mg/kgBW) and ethyl acetate fraction (15, 30, 60 mg/kgBW) of velvet bean, simvastatin 2.7 mg/kg B Wand vitamin E 60 mg/kgB W daily for ten days. The data were analyzed by one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Duncan's Post Hoc Test. The result showed that 15 mg/kgB W of ethyl acetate fraction give the best result in decreasing total cholesterol and 60 mg/kgBW of ethyl-acetate fraction jar the LDL-cholesterol, 200 mg/kgBW of crude extract in increasing HDL-cholesterol and 50 and 200 mg/kg BW of crude extract and 60 mg of ethyl acetate fraction in lowering the triglyceride. Keywords: velvet bean, Mucuna pruriens L., anticholesterol, hypercholesterolemia