Antihyperlipidemic Effect of the Ethanol Extract Fraction From Mulberry (Morus Australis Poir.) Leaves on Rats Induced High Fat-Diet (Hfd) and Propylthiouracil (Ptu)

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of extract and its fraction (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and water) of the mulberry leaf (Morus australis Poir.) in reducing triglyceride and total cholesterol levels on HFD and PTU induced rats.
 Methods: In this study, mulberry leaves were collected from East Nusa Tenggara-Indonesia, extracted using maceration method, and fractionated with various solvents. The thin layer chromatography with silica gel 60 F254 was utilized to identify the active compound on both extract and fraction. Furthermore, using a quasi-experimental with control group design, this study employed 40 healthy male Wistar rats and divided into 8 groups, namely: normal and negative control, positive controls (simvastatin and gemfibrozil), ethanolic extract, and fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and water). All groups were fed with a high cholesterol diet and 0.01% PTU, except for the normal group. During the study, the blood was drawn at day 0, 28, 35, and 42. The triglyceride level was observed using Glycerophosphate-Oxidase Phenol Aminoantipyrine (GPO-PAP) method, while the total cholesterol was measured by Cholesterol Oxidase Phenol Aminoantipyrine (CHOD-PAP).
 Results: On the 42nd day, ethyl fraction of mulberry leaf (Morus australis Poir.) showed the most significant result of reducing the level of triglyceride and total cholesterol compared to the high-fat diet and PTU induced rat on day 0: triglyceride of 104.89±2.70 mg/dl vs 64.76±1.97 mg/dl and total cholesterol of 96.70±2.45 vs 88.02±1.38 mg/dl. Ethyl acetate fraction was similar to simvastatin in lowering the level of total cholesterol. TLC identification also showed that mulberry leaf contains flavonoids and polyphenols that act as anti-hyperlipidemic.
 Conclusion: Ethyl acetate fraction of mulberry leaf (Morus australis Poir.) showed best activity on lowering both triglyceride and total cholesterol.