Lipid‑lowering Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Gynura procumbens in Chemical‑ and High‑fat Diet‑induced Hyperlipidemic Rats

Objective: The present study was carried out to investigate lipid‑lowering effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of Gynura procumbens in chemical‑ and high‑fat diet (HFD)‑induced hyperlipidemic rats. Materials and Methods: The lipid‑lowering effect of hydroalcoholic extracts was investigated in poloxamer‑407 (P‑407)‑induced acute hyperlipidemic rat model. The most active extract was subjected to phytochemical analysis by high‑performance liquid chromatography‑ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) using phenolic acids as marker compounds and evaluated in HFD‑induced chronic hyperlipidemic rats. Results: The evaluation on hydroalcoholic extracts of G. procumbens showed that 95% ethanolic extract (95EEGP) was the most potent extract that significantly reduced serum total cholesterol (TC, P < 0.05) and triglycerides (TG, P < 0.001) levels. The 95EEGP contained 7.18, 3.20, 28.31, and 9.72 mg/g dried extract of chlorogenic acid (CA), 3,4‑dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,4DC), 3,5DC, and 4,5DC, respectively. The extract at doses of 200 and 500 mg/kg significantly reduced serum TC, TG, low‑density lipoprotein‑cholesterol (LDL‑C), and atherogenic index (A. I.) levels of the P‑407‑induced hyperlipidemic rats, in a dose‑dependent manner (P < 0.01 or better) but had no effect on high‑density lipoprotein‑cholesterol (HDL‑C). On HFD‑induced hyperlipidemic rats, the 95EEGP at doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg significantly reduced the serum TC, TG, LDL‑C, and A. I. levels (P < 0.05 or better) while increased serum HDL‑C (P < 0.001). The effect was dose‑dependent showing comparable effect to that of atorvastatin at moderate and high doses. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the lipid‑lowering potential of the 95EEGP of G. procumbens in chemical‑ and HFD‑induced hyperlipidemic rat models. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate its mechanism of its lipid‑lowering action.