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The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of β-caryophyllene on hypercholesterolemia using a model of hyperlipidemia induced by Triton WR-1339 in rats, as well as its possible effect on hepatic antioxidant enzymes. Thus, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were measured in serum, while reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutayl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities were measured in the hepatic tissue. In addition, seric concentrations of β-caryophyllene were measured to perform correlation studies. Serum samples from hypercholesterolemic rats show higher (p < 0.05) levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol, and lower (p < 0.05) levels of HDL cholesterol compared to non-hypercholesterolemic rats. β-Caryophyllene treatment reduced (p < 0.05) the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, similar to the reference drug simvastatin. However, HDL cholesterol levels did not increase with the treatment. β-Caryophyllene treatment was able to inhibit the HMG-CoA reductase activity, as well as to prevent the increase on ROS and TBARS levels, and ameliorate the antioxidant system. In summary, our findings demonstrated that β-caryophyllene has hypolipidemic effect via inhibition of the hepatic HMG-CoA reductase, like the standard drug simvastatin, and this inhibition suggests a possible mechanism of hypolipidemic action. Thus, our results indicate that β-caryophyllene can be used to treat dyslipidemic diseases because it exerts a similar effect as the reference drug, protecting the liver against lipid damage and improving the hepatic antioxidant defense system.

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