EFFECT OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF HIBISCUS CANNABINUS LEAF ON HIGH CHOLESTEROL DIET INDUCED OBESITY IN FEMALE ALBINO RATS

Abstract

Objective: Even with the growing awareness, about 3% of Indian population are obese and worldwide around 1.2 billion people suffer with obesity and those suffer with the related complications might be much higher.  Preventing the occurrence of obesity by including certain food substances with antiobesity effect in our regular diet would always be a welcome move. In this context, the ethanolic extracts of Hibiscus cannabinus leaves were examined by in vivo study on high cholesterol diet induced obese female albino rats, since female obesity is prevalent among Indian women. Hibiscus cannabinus is a plant of Malvaceae family, native to southern Asia.  Methods: Female wistar rats were divided into five groups. Clinical condition was induced by giving high cholesterol diet and treated with the ethanolic extract of Hibiscus cannabinus leaf. A very common green used in Indian diet. Results: In cholesterol diet induced animals treated with the extracts of H. cannabinus and lovastatin demonstrated a significant decrease in the serum cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C and also significant decrease in the levels of SGOT and SGPT activities when compared to cholesterol diet induced group. The groups treated with the extracts of H .cannabinus also showed decrease in body weights when compared to cholesterol induced group. The histopathological studies of liver sections of rats showed reversal of changes, and prevent the fat accumulation in the liver of hyperlipidemic group after treatment with H. cannabinus. Conclusion: Results suggested that the ethanolic extracts of H. cannabinus possess significant antiobesity effect which might me attributed by its rich phytochemical presence.