Effects of Urtica dioica extract on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of extract of Urtica dioica, a perennial herb in Iran, on lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic rats.


METHODS
The effects of Urtica dioica extract were tested by using it as a supplement in a high-cholesterol diet. Male rats were fed a high cholesterol diet (10 mL/kg) for 4 weeks with Urtica dioica extract (100 or 300 mg/kg) or 10 mg/kg lovastatin supplementation to study the hypocholesterolemic effects of Urtica dioica on plasma lipid levels, hepatic enzymes activities, and liver histopathological changes.


RESULTS
Urtica dioica extract at 100 and 300 mg/kg significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and also markedly decreased liver enzymes and weight in animals with a high cholesterol diet. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that in the 100 mg/kg extract of Urtica dioica group, the appearance of the liver cells was similar to the control group, and steatosis and inflammation were not found. In the 300 mg/kg extract of Urtica dioica group, mild steatosis was observed but mononuclear inflammatory infiltration was not found.


CONCLUSIONS
The hepatic histopathological results reflect the correlation of Urtica dioica extract with both liver weight and the levels of plasma TC and LDL-C. These results indicate that Urtica dioica extract has hypocholesterolemic effects in the animal model.
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, and Department of Laboratory Sciences, Qods Hospital, Qazvin 341197-5981, Iran. marjannassiriaslm@gmail.com
Marjan
M
Nassiri-Asl
Farzaneh
F
Zamansoltani
Esmail
E
Abbasi
Mohammad-Mehdi
MM
Daneshi
Amir-Abdollah
AA
Zangivand
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D026982:Urtica dioica / Q000737:chemistry*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts