Screening of Antihyperlipidemic Herbal Drugs for their ACAT (Acyl Coenzyme: A Cholesterol Acyltransferase) Inhibitory Activity

Hyperlipidemia (elevated level of LDL, TG, TC or VLDL) is a major cause of atherosclerosis and associated cardio vascular disease. Lipid metabolism is regulated by various enzymes, ACTA enzyme one of them. The aim of present study was screen out various antihyperlipidemic herbal drugs for their ACAT enzyme inhibitory activity. Liver microsomal preparation was prepared from high fat diet male albino Wistar rats. ACAT enzyme inhibitory activity was measured addition of four different concentration (1 g/ml, 10 g/ml, 30 g/ml 100 g/ml) of herbal drugs. Successive extractions of herbal drugs were done by petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol, IC50 value of each extract was determined. The extract with lowest IC50 value were also sub fractionated and their IC50 values were also determined. All the plant extracts showed inhibition of ACAT activity with IC50 range of (1.70-24.85 g/ml). The ethyl acetate extract of curcuma longa rhizomes (10.47 g/ml), and chloroform extract leaf of Carica papaya (12.07 g/ml) and Camellia senesis (13.04 g/ml) and ethyl acetate extract of Achyrenthes aspera leaf (4.27 g/ml) showed lowest IC50 values. The IC50 values of ethyl acetate sub fraction of Curcuma longa and Achyrenthes aspera leaf were (4.58 g/ml) and (2.44 g/ml) chloroform sub fraction of Carica papaya leaf (4.27 g/ml) and hexane sub fraction of Camellia senesis leaf showed (1.70 g/ml) lowest IC50 value. From the present study, it could be concluded that Curcuma longa rhizomes, Carica papaya leaf, Camellia senesis leaf, and Achyrenthes aspera leaf showed potent ACAT inhibitory activity and their further subfraction showed improve in inhibitory activity on ACAT enzyme.