Antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects of phaseolus vulgaris

Thesis Overview

<p> <strong>1.0. INTRODUCTION</strong><br>A large volume of scientific research suggests that in situations of oxidative stress, reactive<br>oxygen species (ROS) are generated and a homeostatic environment between anti-oxidant and<br>oxidation is created, which are known to be an important concept for maintaining a healthy<br>biological system (Davies, 2000). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anions (O2<br>–<br>), nitric oxide (NO) and hydroxyl radical (OH-) aids in the inactivation of enzymes and this result<br>in damage to important cellular components which leads to complication such as coronary heart<br>diseases (Gessin et al., 1990).<br>Disease of coronary origins such as stroke, atherosclerosis, etc., continues to be a leading cause<br>of death in most countries of the world (Davey, 1993).One of the greatest risk factors in the<br>severity and prevalence of coronary heart diseases is disorders of lipid metabolism known as<br>hyperlipidemia (Grundy, 1986). According to reports by the World Health Organization<br>approximately 56% of coronary heart diseases are as a result of hyperlipidemia and this result in<br>about 4.4million deaths each year worldwide (World Health Organization, 2002).<br>Hyperlipidemia is a disorder of lipoprotein metabolism, including lipoprotein overproduction or<br>deficiency and manifested by elevation of the serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein<br>(LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations with a decrease in the high-density lipoprotein<br>(HDL) cholesterol concentration (Adam, 2005).<br>Man as always looked for a way to fight and control diseased state with inspiration and aid from<br>his immediate natural environment; this guidance’s have been used for centuries as remedies for<br>human diseases because they contain components of therapeutic value (Nostro et al., 2000). The<br>use of medicinal plants in the management of diseases is common around the world (Aliyu et al.,<br>2007). Herbal medicine, the study and use of medicinal properties of plants, is an aspect of<br>2<br>modern medicine (World Health Organization, 2008).The use of traditional medicine is<br>recognized as the most viable method of identifying of new medicinal plants species<br>(Farnsworth, 1966; Ajanahoun et al., 1991).<br>Medicinal plants are used for their beneficial antioxidant and lipid lowering effects thus reducing<br>the risk of cardiovascular diseases in many countries. HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor that is the<br>statins is the most recent lipid lowering drugs. They are very effective in lowering total and<br>LDL- cholesterol and have been shown to reduce coronary events and mortality. They have very<br>few side effects and are now usually the drugs of first choice (Neal, 2002). Also, ascorbic acid<br>and tocopherols are widely used anti-oxidants. In recent times antioxidants derived from natural<br>sources mainly plants have been intensively used to prevent oxidative damage because of its<br>advantage over synthetic ones; as they are easily obtained, economical and have slight or<br>negligible effects (Onay-ucar et al., 2006). Although the adverse effect of statins is relatively<br>low, one rare effect called rhabdomyolysis can be very serious (Miller, 2001). Statins and<br>fibrates both used in elevated cholesterol, especially in combination; cerivastatin (Baycol) was<br>withdrawn in 2001 after numerous incidence of rhabdomyolysis (Armitage, 2007). Hence, there<br>is an urgent need to research natural products that would have minimal or no lipid lowering side<br>effects.<br>Phaseolus vulgaris (family: Fabaceae) is a plant whose leaf, bark, roots and seeds are used for<br>medicinal purposes. It is commonly known as kidney bean, various parts of the plant have been<br>used extensively for the treatment of diabetes mellitus traditionally (Chopra et al., 1958).<br>Previous studies have reported the hypolipidemic activities of the aqueous extract (Roman-<br>Ramos et al., 1995), as well as, the anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antimicrobial<br>and antioxidant activities of the extract (Jorgeet al.,2013). The present study aims to establish the<br>anti-hyperlipidemic and antioxidants effects of various fractions of Phaseolus vulgaris L. fruit<br>and determine the most active of the fractions <br></p>