Hypolipidemic Potential Of Ethanol Extract Of Gongronema Latifolium (Utazi) Leaves On Wistar Albino Rats:- Igbokwe Adaolisa M

ABSTRACT Gongronema latifolium is an edible rain forest plant native to the south eastern part ol Nigeria. The common name is bushbuck. It has been reported to have much phamarcological importance. This study is designed to investigate the in-vitro antioxidant activity and in-vivo hypolipidemic potential of ethanol extract of Gongronema latifolium leaves in high lat diet fed wistar albino rats. Fourteen (14) Wistar albino rats were randomly selected, 12 experimentally induced hyperlipidemia and 2 control rats were divided randomly into 7 groups of two animals each. 10 rats from the induced hyperlipidemic groups were treated with Simvastatin (a standard lipid lowering drug, lOmg/kg) and the extract for 14 days at different concentrations of.the extract (500mg/kg, 250mg/kg, 125mg/kg, and 62.5mg/kg). Antioxidant studies was conducted in-vitro and the DPPH radical scavenging, anti-lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide inhibition activity was calculated and the result showed an inhibition effect of ethanol extract of Gongronema latifolium leaves which decreased as the I concentration ofthe extract decreases. The DPPH scavenging activity, anti lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide inhibition activity was 73.52+5.0, 59.13+ 4.6, 53.99+5.0 respectively at lOOmg/ml concentration, when compared with the standard of inhibition activity of 99.01+0.5, 99.41+0.1, 98.68 +0.4 respectively at lOOmg/ml concentration and this inhibition was more for the DPPH scavenging activity. The result of the work shows the ameliorative effect of ethanol extract of gongronema latifolium leaves on hyperlipidemia as it significantly (p<0.05) reduces total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-c levels. LDL-C levels reduced from 60.8+ 1.1 in the negative control to 28.7+ 0.3 for 500mg/kg concentration of extract and 26.8+0.7 for Simvastatin treated group (positive control) when the negative control is compared to the treated groups while HDL-C level increased from 30.3 +_2.7 in the negative control to 43.1+1.5 in the' 500mg/kg extract concentration of extract and 47.2+1.6 for the Simvastatin treated group when the negative control is compared to the treated groups. When compared between the treated groups, this ameliorative effect increases with an increase in concentration of the extract. From the result, Gongronema latifolium leaves may possess antioxidant properties and a hypolipidemic property which can be of pharmacological importance if nutraceuticals or phytotherapeutics can be made out of it so that mankind may begin to effectively utilize the plant for maximal benefit.