ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular diseases are not only often fatal, they have become a rising and seeming unending scourge to humanity. To reduce its menace and prevent its onset, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended the use of the “3-pill option”. This involves the daily consumption of a statin, an antihypertensive and a blood thinner in low doses, by those at risk of contracting a cardiovascular disease. For “poor countries” unable to afford this option, WHO has suggested the development of “new resources”. Herbal products have been suggested as products that can fill this gap. It was therefore the aim of this study to evaluate the therapeutic potentials of Paxherbal and Yoyo cleanser bitters in preventing cardiovascular diseases in male Wistar rats fed high-salt and high-fat diets.
This study was done in three phases, with forty-five (45) rats used for each phase. They were randomly divided into nine groups of five rats each. In each phase, the rats were fed ad-libitum with their assigned feed as specified in the experimental protocol and with clean-tap water during the entire course of the 6-weeks study. The basal diet was given to the control group 1 of each phase, the high-salt diet was given to the remaining 8 groups of phase I rats, the high-fat diet was given to the remaining 8 groups of phase II rats, and the combined diet, given to the remaining 8 groups of phase III rats. Using an oro-gastric gavage, the respective assigned drug(s) was administered at a dose equivalent to the body weight of the rats for control group 3 of each phase. Lisinopril was assigned to phase I rats, atorvastatin to phase II rats and a combination of both drugs to phase III rats. Three (3) doses of the Paxherbal bitters (groups 4 - 6) and three (3) doses of the Yoyo cleanser bitters (groups 7 - 9), according to the equivalent dose (to the weight of the rats) of the effective dose already prescribed for man was also administered daily throughout the study period to each phase. The assigned doses of the two herbal bitters were 600 mg/kg body weight, 1,100 mg/kg body weight and 2,300 mg/kg body weight. Specialized and standardized ELISA and colorimetric assay kits were used for the biochemical parameters to be determined and the manufacturer’s instructions were strictly followed. The biochemical parameters determined include, fasting blood glucose, high sensitive C - reactive protein (HsCRP), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), cardiac troponin-T (cTnT), lipid profile as well as the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and the liver and kidney function indices. Histopathological evaluation of the aorta, heart, liver and kidney of the rats was also carried out. The results were presented as mean ± SEM. The data were analyzed using the GraphPad Prism 8.0.2, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the Tukey’s multiple comparisons post hoc test. A p value of less than 0.05 (P < 0.05) was accepted as statistically significant.
The result of this study revealed that both herbal bitters were able to prevent elevation in plasma levels of high sensitive C - reactive protein (HsCRP) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1). They were also able to improve the plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and inhibit the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA). They prevented the development insulin resistance/hyperglycaemia and the reduction of the plasma levels of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and bilirubin. They prevented the elevation of cardiac troponin-T (cTnT), plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol levels and elevated the HDL-cholesterol level, as well as reduced the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP). The biochemical and histological evaluation of the organs of the rats revealed that the bitters were also vasculoprotective, cardioprotective, renoprotective and hepatoprotective. They were also found to be as effective as lisinopril and atorvastatin in preventing the development of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia. Considering all these positive findings, coupled with the fact that they are all factors that promote and ensure good cardiovascular health, Paxherbal bitters and Yoyo cleanser bitters can be said to be good therapeutic agents for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
