Mina Hemmati, Elham Zohoori, Somayeh Asghari,
Volume 2, Issue 1 (5-2014)
Abstract
Background & Objective: Dyslipidemia increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients. Lipoprotein a, as a cholesterol carrier and competitive inhibitor of plasminogen in the blood coagulation system is considered an atherogenic factor which increases the risk of developing atherosclerosis in diabetic individuals. Based on previous studies, Barberry is thought to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Since increased cholesterol level, especially Lipoprotein a, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in people with diabetes, the aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of Lipoprotein (a) in diabetic rats treated with aqueous extract of Barberry.
Method: In this experimental study, diabetes was induced in 15 mice by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) and then they were treated orally for 14 days with liquid extract of the said plant in doses of 25 and 100 mg/kg. At the end of the treatment period, mice were kept fasted for 12 hours and then by heart phlebotomy, serum levels of Lipoprotein a, serum levels of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL were measured in normal and diabetic groups. The results were then analyzed using SPSS version 16, ANOVA and Tukey›s test.
Results: Data analysis showed that the consumption of both oral doses of Berberis vulgaris (Barberry) in diabetic rats causes a significant reduction in serum levels of triglyceride, serum glucose and VLDL(P=0.01).
The extract at both used doses also significantly reduced serum levels of lipoprotein (a) in treated diabetic rats (P=0.012).
Conclusion: Oral administration of the aqueous extract of Berberis vulgaris (Barberry) is effective for reducing triglyceride and glucose levels in diabetic mice. Since Barberry lowers Lipoprotein (a) levels, it can be considered as an anti-atherogenic factor.
