We investigated the effects of
methanol extract of Artocarpus altilis (AA) on atherogenic indices and redox status of cellular system of rats fed with
dietary cholesterol while
Questran (QUE) served as standard. Biochemical indices such as total
cholesterol (TC),
triglycerides (TG), low- and
high-density lipoproteins-
cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C),
aspartate and
alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT),
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),
reduced glutathione,
glutathione-s-transferase,
glutathione peroxidase (GPx),
catalase (CAT),
superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were assessed. Hypercholesterolemic (HC) rats had significantly increased relative weight of liver and heart.
Dietary cholesterol caused a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the levels of serum, hepatic, and cardiac TC by 110%, 70%, and 85%,
LDL-C by 79%, 82%, and 176%, and TG by 68%, 96%, and 62%, respectively. Treatment with AA significantly reduced the relative weight of the organs and
lipid parameters. There were beneficial increases in serum and cardiac HDL-C levels in HC rats treated with AA. In HC rats, serum LDH, ALT, and AST activities and levels of LPO were increased, whereas hepatic and cardiac SOD, CAT, and GPx were reduced. All biochemical and histological alterations were ameliorated upon treatment with AA. Extract of AA had protective effects against
dietary cholesterol-induced
hypercholesterolemia.