Effect of Ethanol Extract of Cucurbita pepo Leaves on the Lipid Profile of Wistar Albino Rats

Abstract

Aim: The role of nutrition in lipid metabolism continues to generate a lot of research interest, especially as dyslipidaemia is implicated in a host of diseases. The work investigated the effect of ethanol extract of  Curcubita pepo leaves on the lipid profile of Wister rats. Methodology: A total of 18 rats divided into three groups of 6 rats each were employed in the investigation. The first group (baseline) was sacrificed after purchase; second group (control) was fed rat chow, and the third group (test) was fed a composite feed containing rat chow and 10% extract of C. pepo leaves.  Results: The lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL and VLDL) of the rats was assayed after 18 days of feeding and the result showed no significant difference (P>0.05) between the test group and control for the lipids assayed. However, there was a marked increase in the HDL level of the test group (0.500±0.057 mmol/L) compared to the control (0.268±0.043 mmol/L), it was nonetheless statistically non-significant (P=0.068).  The HDL increasing effect observed may stem from the rich phytochemistry of the leaves, as preliminary phytochemical investigation showed the leaves to contain saponin, tannin, alkaloids, flavonoids and glycosides. Conclusion: We conclude that the leaves of C. pepo may play a medicinal role in maintaining lipid homeostasis.