HYPOCHOLESTEROLEMIC EFFECT OF COMBINED EXTRACTS OF GINGER (Zingiber officinale) AND BLACK PEPPER (Piper nigrum) IN ALBINO RATS

Abstract

ABSTRACT High blood cholesterol is an important risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease, molecules with cholesterol lowering properties are needed. Ginger and black pepper combined extracts may be promising source of such molecules. Investigations were carried out to find out the hypocholesterolemic effect of ginger and black pepper in albino rats. The extracts were administered in varying concentrations for two weeks, lipid profile were determined using standard methods. Similarly the results shows that they was significant decrease of total cholesterol in group one (101±1.54), in group two (97.5±1.55), in group three (88.8±2.75), in group four (85±2.42) when compared with the control (125±1.89). There was significant decrease in total triacylglycerol in group one (92.8±1.80), in group two (88.5±3.30), in group three (83.5±2.10), in group four (78.5±2.39) when compared with the control (112.5±2.25). There was significant increase in high density lipoprotein in group one (54.2±1.79), in group two (58.0±1.87), in group three (55.8±2.50), in group four (66.0±1.08) when compared with the control (46.0±1.58). There was significant decreased in low density lipoprotein in group one (18.3±0.94), in group two (17.0±0.91), in group three (13.3±0.85), in group four (12.0±1.35) when compared with the control (25.3±1.35). The result shows that ginger and black pepper lowered the cholesterol level significantly after fourteen days of oral administration. Therefore, they are potential sources of therapeutic molecules for cardiovascular diseases.