Hypolipidemic Effect of Nigella Sativa L. Seed on Induced – Hyperlipidemic Rats

Abstract

This study was carried out during the period January – March, 2012 to investigate the potentiality of Nigella sativa seeds as lowering cholesterol agent in hypercholesterolemic – induced rats. Eighteen albino rats aged 1-2 months, and weighting 110-182 grams were provided by the Faculty of Science and Technology, Elneelain university. The animals were reared and housed at the faculty premises, under optimum condition of light, temperature, standard diet, and water. Animals were acclimatized for two weeks before the commencement of the experiment. Hypercholesterolemia in rats were induced by feeding the animals 0.5% of cholesterol for a period of 4 weeks until the hypercholesterolemia was evident. Nigella sativa seeds treatment were imposed after dividing the animals into 3 group each group comprise 6 rats treated as follow: the first group (control group) was kept under the standard diet of the animals and continue to receive the 0.5% cholesterol for further one month. The second group was kept under the cholesterol supplementation and normal diet and given 5% of N. sativa seeds powder mixed with the diet. The third group treated as the same as second group but supplemented with 10% of N. sativa seeds. N. sativa seeds treatment lasted for one month during which the body weight was recorded and the animals kept under observation. Following the end of the treatment period, some of the animals were slaughtered, and speceimen of liver, kidney, and heart were taken for histopathological examination. The results obtained indicated that clear hypercholesterolemia was apparently seen in the 0.5% cholesterol – treated rats in which total cholesterol, HDL and LDL-cholesterol, were significantly elevated and an increase of up to 86%, 190%, and 116% were obtained in treated rats compared with no-treated rats at p value = 0.000. triglycerides showed no significant increase of about 11%. 23 this treatment accompanied with a 10% increase in animal body weight compared with control. Treatment of the hypercholesterolemic rats with 5% or 10% of N. sativa seeds powder mixed with the standard animal diet, brought about non-significant increase in animal body weight compared with control at p value = 0.108 and 0.284. treatment the animals with 5% or 10% also brought about significant reduction in both total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, a reduction of about 35% and 38% from control value was seen for total cholesterol at 5% and 10% treatment, while LDL-cholesterol showed about 35% and 40% under both treatment. Triglycerides showed insignificant reduction under both treatment. HDL-cholesterol showed insignificant reduced value from control of 14% and 21% for 5% and 10% N. sativa treatment respectively. The result of the study also showed no remarkable alteration on the hematological index except a significant rise in RBCs. The histopathological finding of this study revealed that the histopathological lesions in some of the internal body organs of the rats as a result of the initial hypercholesterolemic treatment which 0.5% cholesterol, were not much altered and no remarkable changes occurred when N. sativa seeds applied at either concentration, in other mean , no protective role of N. sativa seeds were evident. The outcome of this study can be summarized in that, N. sativa seeds proved to be save lipid lowering both herbal drug, and the effect is dose dependent plus potentiality of being of nutritive value were not excluded