title: Alcoholic Extract of Lotus Leaves Improves Lipid Profile in Rats with HIV Protease Inhibitor-induced Dyslipidaemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effect of the alcoholic extract of lotus leaves (AELL) on antiretroviral treatment-induced dyslipidaemia in a rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lotus leaves were extracted by 95% ethanol. Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were given lopinavir/ritonavir for six weeks. At week 0 and 6, sera were collected for measurement of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG). Rats meeting the criteria for dyslipidaemia were assigned to four groups and received once daily for another four weeks lopinavir/ritonavir (group A), lopinavir/ritonavir plus 0.52 g/kg AELL (group B), lopinavir/ritonavir plus 0.26 g/kg AELL (group C), or lopinavir/ritonavir plus 0.13 g/kg AELL (group D), respectively. At weeks 8 and 10, blood samples were collected again for measurement of TC or TG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both TC and TG increased over time in group A during the observation period (weeks 6 to 10), however, TC and TG decreased in group B, and TG declined in group C. Neither TC nor TG could be reduced to a level near baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcoholic extract of lotus leaves may have the potential to treat dyslipidaemia related to highly active antiretroviral therapy, but may not be potent enough to reduce TC or TG concentrations to goal levels when used alone.
authors.affiliation: Center for AIDS Research, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 10 Huadong Road, Nanning 530011, Guangxi Province, China. agansue@163.com.
authors.forename: Q J
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Center for AIDS Research, Ruikang Hospital Affiliated to Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530011, Guangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Z Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: School of Preclinical Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Q Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: School of Preclinical Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Province, China.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Wei