title: Antihypercholesterolemic activity of ethanolic extract of Buchholzia coriacea in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypercholesterolemia is a condition characterised with high level of cholesterol in the blood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The effect of ethanolic extract of Buchholzia coriacea (EEBC) on the lipid profile levels and extent of lipid peroxidation in hypercholesterolemic albino rats was investigated in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty albino rats were divided into six different groups which consist of group 1 (control), group 2 (hypercholesterolemic rats), group 3 (hypercholesterolemic rats treated with ethanolic extract of EEBC), group 4 (hypercholesterolemic rats treated with questran), group 5 (normal rats treated with EEBC) and group 6 (normal rats treated with questran). The rats were sacrificed at the end of the sixth week and assay conducted for Aspartate Transaminase (AST), Alanine Transaminase (ALT), lipid profile and biomarker of oxidative stress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum and liver total cholesterol and LDL - cholesterol levels as well as lipid peroxidation in the EEBC-treated hypercholesterolemic rats were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) when compared with the untreated hypercholesterolemic rats. The activities of AST and ALT in EEBC - treated hypercholesterolemic rats were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from the control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that Buchholzia coriacea seeds contain potent antihypercholesterolemic agent which may find clinical application in ameliorating hypercholesterolemia and its attendant complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Olaiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Omolekan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031483:Capparaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D000431:Ethanol; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000431:Ethanol; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Buchholzia coriacea; hypercholesterolemia; oxidative stress