A Review on Promising Natural Agents Effective on Hyperlipidemia

Abstract

Hyperlipidemia is a prevalent disease and a major component of the metabolic syndrome resulting from various factors. This disease increases morbidity and mortality when combined with other prevalent diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. The side effects of the current lipid-lowering drugs have increased the tendency to move toward traditional and alternative treatments. Epidemiological observations indicate that using alternative treatments, consumption of medicinal plants, diet, and consumption of fruits have had satisfactory results on the effects of hyperlipidemia in many societies. It should be noted that in majority of societies, even developed countries, the tendency toward eating lipid-lowering medicinal plants has increased extensively. Using these plants especially when common remedies cannot control the disease is significant. Although consumption of medicinal plants by hyperlipidemic patients may show improvement in disease state, drug interaction and side effects may cause complications in disease control. Therefore, in this review, apart from introducing some of the reliable plants effective in inhibition and decrease of hyperlipidemia, the possibility of their intoxication and drug interaction is also presented.

Antioxidants and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

“…The common side effects of the current synthetic lipid-lowering drugs [57] have increased the tendency to move toward traditional and alternative treatments for the prevention of hyperlipidemia including medicinal plants and natural antioxidants. Lipid-lowering compounds, available in food supplements and medicinal plants, can be effective for the metabolism of lipids by influencing the metabolic reactions of different tissues and, in most cases, these lipid-lowering properties, at least in part, have been attributed to their antioxidant properties [58]. Literature data on the effects of foods and bioactive compounds showed that several nutrients and food components could positively impact the lipid profile (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, soluble fiber, vegetable proteins, phytosterols, and polyphenols; [59]).…”

Antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic effects of Ajwa date (Phoenix dactyliferaL.) extracts in rats fed a cholesterol‐rich diet

“…Hyperlipidemia or dyslipidemia is a prevalent metabolic syndrome that is characterized by a decreased level of high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) and increased levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) in blood (Zhang, Wang, Jin, Yang, & Zhou, ). Hyperlipidemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates as it promote the development of numerous chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases (Bahmani et al, ; Schofield, Liu, Rao‐Balakrishna, Malik, & Soran, ; Zhang et al, ). Chemical drugs are extensively used to treat hyperlipidemia; however, most of them have several side effects and limitations (Giorgi, Caroli, Arazi, & Di Girolamo, ).…”

Ocimum gratissmum aqueous extract reduces plasma lipid in hypercholesterol-fed hamsters

“…Currently there are several thoroughly documented plant-based lipid-lowering polyphenols including those from Ecklonia cava , Ichnocarpus frutescens , Morus alba , Hibiscus sabdariffa , and Red grape 5-9. Since natural compounds can be used for the prevention of atherosclerosis due to their effect on the reduction of lipid profile in circulating blood and inhibition of LDL-C oxidation 10, 11 the search for more forms of herbal remedy is a line of study for the purposes of contributing to a broader understanding of plant-based compounds as well as for increasing locally available treatment options for more geolocations.…”