Combined Carica papaya and Alstonia scholaris Leaf Water Extracts Prevent Hypercholesterolemia and Lipid Peroxidation in Cholesterol Fed Rats

Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, 16680, Indonesia

Abstract

Papaya (Carica papaya) and pulai (Alstonia scholaris) are recognized for their antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidant effects with minimal side effects. An equal combination of their leaf extracts demonstrated a synergistic effect as an HMG-CoA inhibitor, comparable to that of lovastatin in vitro. This study evaluated cholesterol levels and lipid peroxidation inhibition in a hypercholesterolemic animal model induced by a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet and propylthiouracil treatment. Sprague- Dawley rats were divided into three groups: Normal, Hypercholesterolemia, and Extract groups, which were subjected to treatment protocols over six weeks. The combination extracts (200:200 mg/kg BW) were administered and blood samples were analyzed for cholesterol and malondialdehyde levels. The results showed that hypercholesterolemia induction increased blood cholesterol to 173.72±5.6 mg/dL and MDA level to 19,44±4,59 nmol/mL. The extract treatment effectively decreased blood cholesterol levels by 27% and prevented lipid peroxidation, as shown by a 52% reduction in MDA levels (p<0.05).