Short communication The effect of hydroalcoholic extract and essential oil of Heracleum persicum on lipid profile in cholesterol-fed rabbits Valiollah Hajhashemi1*, Gholamreza Dashti2, Salabali Saberi1, Parvin Malekjamshidi2 1Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, I. R. Iran 2Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, I. R. Iran Article history: Abstract Received: Aug 11, 2013; Objective: This study was designed to investigate the effect of Received in revised form: Oct 17, 2013 hydroalcoholic extract and essential oil of Heracleum persicum Accepted: Dec 17, 2013 (Apiaceae) on lipid profile of male hyperlipidemic rabbits. Vol. 4, No. 3, May-Jun 2014, Materials and Methods: Thirty rabbits were randomly divided 144-150 into six groups of five each. One group received normal diet and the other groups fed with a high cholesterol (2% W/W) diet for 7 * Corresponding Author: weeks. Vehicle, hydroalcoholic extract (500 and 1000 mg/kg), Tel: +983117922630 essential oil (200 l/kg), and lovastatin (5 mg/kg) were Fax: +983116680011 administered orally to animals and their effects on lipid profile [email protected] were evaluated. Results: Essential oil of H. perscum significantly (p<0.05) Keywords: Essential oil lowered serum triglyceride level and increased HDL-cholesterol Heracleum persicum concentration. Moreover, hydroalcoholic extract (1000 mg/kg), Hyperlipidemia essential oil (200 l/kg), and lovastatin significantly (p<0.01) reduced serum concentration of total cholesterol and LDL- cholesterol. Conclusion: These findings suggest that essential oil of the plant fruits may have some benefits in reducing cardiovascular risk factors. Please cite this paper as: Hajhashemi V, Dashti GR, Saberi S, Malekjamshidi P. The effect of hydroalcoholic extract and essential oil of Heracleum persicum on lipid profile in cholesterol-fed rabbits. Avicenna J Phytomed, 2014; 4 (3): 144-150.‎ Introduction elevated plasma low density lipoprotein Atherosclerosis has a key role in the cholesterol (LDL-C) and its oxidized form pathogenesis of myocardial and cerebral (ox-LDL) are important risk factors for the infarction. There are several risk factors for development and progression of development of atherosclerosis including atherosclerosis (Keys, 1997). It has been age, male gender, hypertension, smoking, reported that two key initial events within and hyperlipidemia (Brunton et al., 2011). the arterial wall during early atherogenesis It has been reported that high blood levels are the recruitment and differentiation of of triglyceride and cholesterol contribute to circulating monocytes and the uptake of atherosclerotic changes of arteries cholesterol and ox-LDL by tissue (Cambien et al., 1986; Austin, 1989). macrophages to form lipid-foam cells, Hypercholesterolemia, or more specifically involved in atheroma plaque generation AJP, Vol. 4, No. 3, May-Jun 2014 144 Hypolipidemic effects of H. persicum (Napoli et al., 1997; Steinberg, 1997; (Asgarpanah et al., 2012). Fruits are widely Napoli, 1999). used as spices and the young stems are also Therefore, one possible method of used for making pickles. In Iranian folk preventing atherosclerotic diseases would medicine, the fruits of H. persicum were be administration of antioxidative used as a carminative and pain killer herbal substances and thereby making LDL less drug (Naraghi, 1972; Zargari, 1988). sensitive to oxidation. Moreover, chemical Chemical composition of different parts of hypolipidemic drugs such as resins, statins, H. persicum has been investigated by and‎ fibrates‎ which‎ reduce‎ serum‎ several authors. Some reports indicate the triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol to presence of six furanocoumarins and various extents and increase high-density flavonoids in the fruits of H. persicum lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels have (Ghodsi, 1976; Merijanian et al., 1980). an important role in prevention of Essential oil is one of the most important atherosclerosis (Brunton et al., 2011). constituents of the fruits, leaves, flowers, However, these drugs have numerous and and roots of H. persicum (Scheffer et al., significant‎ side‎ effects.‎ Efforts‎ have‎ been‎ 1984; Mojab et al., 2002, 2003; Sefidkon et done to find drugs with a better safety al., 2004). profile and to achieve this goal, some Antioxidant activity of some investigators have switched their studies furanocoumarins isolated from H. persicum toward medicinal herbs. Several studies has been reported by Souri et al. (2004). have shown that medicinal herbs and Moreover, it has been shown that nutrients including artichoke (Thompson furanocoumarins have protective effect Coon, 2003), fenugreek (Basch et al., 2003), against lipid peroxidation (Vimal and garlic (Orekhov and Grunwald, 1997), Devaki, 2004; Phuwapraisirisan et al., ginger (Bhandari et al., 1998), dillweed oil 2006). Based on antioxidant activity of H. (Hajhashemi and Abbasi, 2008), caraway persicum and considering the presence of (Lemhadri et al., 2006), coriander (Chithra several furanocoumarin compounds in its and Leelamma, 1997), cumin (Dhandapani fruits and also lipid lowering activity of et al., 2002), and soy bean (Anderson et al., above-mentioned plants of Apiaceae family, 1995) have beneficial effects on serum lipid this study was aimed to evaluate levels and preventive effect against hypolipidemic properties of hydroalcoholic atherosclerosis. extract and essential oil of H. persicum Several of above medicinal herbs fruits in rabbits. including dill, caraway, coriander, and cumin belong to Apiaceae family. Moreover, recently it was reported that Materials and Methods Prangos ferulacea, another plant of Plant material and preparation of Apiaceae family showed improvement of extract and essential oil serum glucose and lipids in alloxan- Fruits of H. persicum were collected induced diabetic rats. H. persicum is a plant from north of Tehran. The plant identity of Apiaceae family and it has been the was confirmed by the Botany Department subject of many investigations. of Isfahan University. A voucher specimen Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fischer is (No. 1703) was deposited in the herbarium a perennial flowering plant native to Iran. of Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical The height of the plant reaches 150-200 Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical cm. This large white-flowered plant grows Sciences, Isfahan, Iran for further reference. wild in humid mountainous regions. Its For preparation of hydroalcoholic extract, flowering time is July to September. Fruits air-dried and powdered fruits of the plant are broadly obovate, 7 to 8 mm long and 2- (200 g) were macerated with 1500 ml of parted with slightly ridged schizocarp EtOH-H2O (7:3) for 48 hours. The extract AJP, Vol. 4, No. 3, May-Jun 2014 145 Hajhashemi et al. was then shacked, filtered, and evaporated Group 5: Rabbits fed with HCD plus H. in a rotating evaporator under reduced persicum hydroalcoholic extract (1000 pressure until dryness (Sajjadi et al., 1998). mg/kg), and Group 6: rabbits fed with HCD Evaporation and solvent removal of plus lovastatin (5 mg/kg). hydroalcoholic extract gave semi-solid HCD was prepared by adding 2% (w/w) masses (yield 7.5%). cholesterol (Merck, Germany) to standard The essential oil was isolated by hydro diet. distillation of the powdered fruits of the Hydroalcoholic extract and lovastatin plant for 3 hours according to the method were suspended in 1% sodium recommended in European Pharmacopoeia carboxymethyl‎ cellulose‎ to‎ a‎ final‎ volume‎ (2002). The yield value of the essential oil of 2 mL/kg of body weight. All drugs were was 3.8% (v/w). The essential oil was kept administered orally once daily and the in a cool and dry place and the duration of treatment was 7 weeks for each hydroalcoholic extract was kept in a animal. refrigerator. Determination of serum lipids Animals Serum cholesterol, triglyceride, and Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits HDL-C were assayed by colorimetric with a body weight of 1.8-2.2 kg were used methods (Bucolo and David, 1973; Allain in this study. Animals were purchased from et al., 1974; Rifai et al., 1992) using Pasteur Institute (Tehran, Iran). Two available commercial kits (Zistshimi, Iran). animals were kept together in each large LDL-cholesterol was calculated by the cage with daylight illumination and free method of Varley (1991). access to water ad libitum. The temperature o in the animal room was 22±2 C and the Statistical analysis general health and activity of rabbits were The results are presented as mean±SEM monitored closely. All experimental and statistically analyzed by one way procedures were conducted in accordance analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by with the local guidelines of the animal Duncan’s test. ethical committee for animal experimentation in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Isfahan, Iran). Results Experimental design As it is seen in Table 1, mean values of After 2 weeks of adaptation to the serum cholesterol concentration at zero standard diet, blood samples were collected weeks (baseline values) are not from the rabbits’ ear artery to measure significantly different between groups. A basal serum lipid levels. The animals were high cholesterol diet produced an eight-fold randomly divided into six groups of five increase in serum cholesterol concentration each and fed as follows: of the rabbits. Seven weeks treatment of Group 1: Normal animals fed with normal rabbits with H. persicum