Gloria N. Okwu, S.E. Abanobi, U.V. Nnadi, N. Nwachukwu, C.O. Ujowundu and A.C. Ene.
Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria
The effect of ethanol extract of cyperus rotundus rhizome on carbimazole - induced hyperlipidemia and on hyperglycemia (using glucose tolerance test) in male wistar rats was investigated. Acute toxicity analysis with the cyperus rotundus extract produced no lethality even at high doses. Hyperlipidemia was induced using 400mg/kg cholesterol and 2mg/kg carbimazole. The lipemic control groups were administered cholesterol and carbimazole but not the normal control group. Cholesterol and carbimazole administration caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in the Total Cholesterol, Triglyceride (TG), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Non-High Density Lipoprotein (non-HDL) Cholesterol and LDL/HDL ratio and a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the levels of HDL in the lipemic control when compared to the normal control. Treatment with cyperus rotundus extract at 250mg/kg, 500mg/kg and the standard hyperlipidemic drug (simvastatin) 5mg/kg significantly (p<0.05) reduced Total Cholesterol, TG, LDL, LDL/HDL ratio, Total non-HDL Cholesterol and significantly (p<0.05) increased the level of HDL when compared to the non-treatment groups (the normal control and the lipemic control). Treatment with cyperus rotundus extract and the hyperglycemic drug (Glucophage) at 7.14mg/kg caused a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the blood glucose level when compared to the non-treatment groups. This study concluded that cyperus rotundus rhizome contains principles that compare effectively and as well as standard clinically used antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic agents.
Keywords: Cyperus rotundus, antihyperlipidemia, antihyperglycemia.