Dyslipidemia and
obesity are recognized as two of the major global health issues and main risk factors for
coronary heart disease and
cerebrovascular disease. In recent years,
carob has shown certain
antioxidant and anti-dyslipidemic potential. In this study, Wistar rats were fed with a standard and
cholesterol-enriched diet and treated orally with
carob extract and
simvastatin for four weeks. After sacrifice, blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis, and liver tissue was taken for histological and immunohistochemical assessment.
Weight gain was significantly higher in groups fed with
cholesterol-fortified granules; total
cholesterol was found to be significantly lower in the hypercholesterolemic groups treated with
simvastatin and
simvastatin/
carob combined regimens compared with hypercholesterolemic animals treated with saline (p < 0.05). The same was true for
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the
LDL/HDL ratio (p < 0.05).
Adiponectin was remarkably higher in animals treated with
simvastatin compared to all other groups (p < 0.05).
Leptin was significantly lower in groups treated with
carob and
simvastatin compared to the hypercholesterolemic group treated with saline (p < 0.05).
Carob/
simvastatin co-administration reduced hepatocyte damage and improved liver morphology. A study confirmed the anti-dyslipidemic, anti-
obesity, and hepatoprotective potential of
carob pulp alone or in combination with
simvastatin in the treatment of high-fat diet-fed rats.