Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Marrubium alysson extracts in high cholesterol-fed rabbits

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of hexane (HEXA), chloroform (CHLORO), ethyl acetate (EA) and total alcoholic (T. ALCOH) extracts of Marrubium alysson in hypercholesterolemic-fed rabbits were evaluated. Hypercholesterolemia was induced in male rab- bits by high cholesterol diet (HCD) (350 mg/kg) for 8 weeks. Hypercholesterolemic rabbits were allocated into groups, treated with simvastatin (SIM 5 mg/kg), different extracts of M. alysson at two doses of 250, 500 mg/kg. A normal control group and an HCD control one were used for com- parison. Lipid profile, as well as oxidized low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (ox-LDL-C), myelo- peroxidase activity (MPO) and superoxide anion production (O_2-), C-reactive protein (CRP) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were also evaluated. In addition, histological examination of ascending aorta was performed. We found dyslipidemia associated with significant increases in ox-LDL-C 123.5 ± 9.8 nmol MDA/mg non-HDL, MPO activity 0.08 ± 0.05 U/ 100 mg tissue and O_2- p roduction 3.5 ± 0.3 nmol cytochrome C reduced/min/g tissue· 10^-4 in hypercholerterolemic rabbits. In addition, there was a significant increase in CRP 6.6 ± 0.49 l mol/ L and MCP-1 190.9 ± 6.4 pg/ml and its mRNA expression in HCD. Intima appeared thick with thick plaques surrounding the intima and luminal narrowing. SIM, EA and HEXA extracts of M. alysson had lipid lowering effect, decrease in ox-LDL-C, MPO, O _2-, CRP and MCP-1 mRNA expression with improvement of the pathological picture. M. alysson enhanced the stability of pla- que, had lipid lowering, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.