The Potency of Beligo Seeds (Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.) as Antihyperlipidemic in L-NAME- induced Hyperlipidemic Rats

Abstract

Beligo or Bligo is the name of Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. in Indonesian, empirically used in the treatment of cholesterol and hypertension. The part of the plant used is the seeds. This study aimed to determine the antihyperlipidemic activity of beligo seeds in hyperlipidemic rats induced by L-NAME. The method of this study, male Wistar albino rats (n = 25) were measured for their initial levels of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) using a human analyzer (Thermo Scientific Indico®). All rats were induced by L-NAME 40 mg/kg body weight (BW) for four weeks and then the TC, HDL, TG, VLDL, and LDL levels were measured again. After the discontinuation of L-NAME administration, the treatment was carried out and all rats were divided into five groups consisting of group I as negative control which was given sodium carboxy methyl celulose (CMC) 1%; groups II, III, and IV were given beligo seeds ethanol extract (BSEE) each dose of 100 mg/kg BW, 200 mg/kg BW, 300 mg/kg BW; and group V as the positive control group which was given Simvastatin 10 mg/kg BW. The results showed that the beligo seeds ethanol extract (BSEE) had an antihyperlipidemic activity where doses of 100 mg/kg BW, 200 mg/kg BW, and 300 mg/kg BW could significantly reduce levels of TC, TG, LDL, and VLDL (p<0 .05) and significantly increased HDL levels (p<0.05).