You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Hypercholesterolemia is an important risk factor for atherosclerosis and the development of cardiovascular disease. The increasing concerns regarding the side effects and long-term safety of conventional cholesterol-lowering drugs brought about the search for alternative therapeutic agents. This study biochemically transformed the stem bark of Terminalia catappa to activated charcoal and evaluated its anti-hyperlipidemic effect on cholesterol-induced models. Stem bark was gotten fresh from the Terminalia catappa tree, dried under the sun and subjected to an air tight Thermofischer muffle furnace at 1450°C in the absence of oxygen for about an hour to allow all the stem bark turn into charcoal and highly porous material with a large surface area. Twelve rats were divided into four groups of three rats each. All groups except group 1 (control) were induced with 5% cholesterol dissolved in ratio 1:2 of DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) orally with gastric gavage and fed with diet rich in lard. Group 2 (negative control) were left untreated, group 3 and 4 were treated with 200mg/kg body weight of Activated charcoal and 10mg/kg body weight of Atorvastatin (standard drug) respectively. GC-MS results shows that activated charcoal of Terminalia catappa contains two phytochemicals; Methyl-6-beta galactopyranoside (93.24%) and Stigmastan-3, 5-diene (6.76%) which is a plant sterol. The results revealed a significant increase (p<0.05) in Sodium dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione reductase (GSH), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), Total protein and Alanine Transaminase (ALT) in group 3 and 4 when compared with group 2 which were induced but not treated. A significant decrease (p<0.05) in Aspartate Transaminase (AST), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Total cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, Urea, Creatinine, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Potassium and Sodium in group 3 and 4 when compared to group 2 which were induced but not treated. Data from this study show that activated charcoal contains phytochemicals, a plant sterol which reduces cholesterol levels by inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines by absorbing bile acids. Therefore, activated charcoal of Terminalia catappa has an anti-hyperlipidemic effect.
