Antiarrythmic And Anti-Hyperlipidaemic Potentials Of Aqueous Garlic Extract In Hypercholesterolaemic Rats

The antiarrythmic and anti-hyperlipidaemic potentials of aqueous garlic extract in hypercholesterolaemic rats were investigated in this study. The lethality studies showed that the aqueous extract of the plant had an LD50 value of 625.08mg/kg rat intraperitioneally. The weight, heart rate and lipid parameters were measured after 6 weeks. There was an increase in weights in hypercholesterolaemic rats (P<0.05) when compared with the control group, which then significantly reduced in hypercholesterolemic rats treated with aqueous garlic extract. The study also showed that 100 and 200 mg/kg of the extract reduced the heart rate, which was increased in hypercholosterolaeminc group. There was a significant increase (P<0.05) in serum total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels in hypercholesterolaemic rats when compared with the control. These were brought to near normal when treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight of the aqueous garlic extract and this action was dose dependent. Garlic extracts are reported to inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methoxy-butyryl-CoA reductase. This could help to explain the decrease in serum lipid indices. The normalization of atherogenic risk predictor indices and the restoration of heart rate by the two doses of the extract confirm the beneficial use of the aqueous garlic extract in traditional medicine practice to manage hypertension and some cardiovascular related problems.