Roma Sitio, Erlangga Galih Zulva Nugroho, Nur Balqis Maulydia
Background: Current pharmacological therapies for hypercholesterolemia remain limited, particularly among individuals who exhibit intolerance to statins. Citrus aurantifolia (lime) has been proposed as a natural alternative with lipid-lowering properties that could help prevent cardiovascular complications. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ethanol extract of lime peel (Citrus aurantifolia) on body weight, serum lipid profile, and histological changes in the liver and aorta of rats fed a high-fat diet. Methods: Lime peels were extracted by maceration using 96% ethanol and administered to male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) that had previously received a high-fat diet for 42 days. The experimental groups included a normal control, a high-fat diet control, a simvastatin-treated group, and three lime peel extract groups (50, 75, and 100 mg/kg body weight). The parameters observed included body weight, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and histological features of the liver and aorta. Results: High-fat feeding significantly increased body weight compared with the standard diet (P < 0.001). Treatment with lime peel extract and simvastatin significantly reduced body weight (P < 0.05), lowered TC and TG, and increased HDL relative to the untreated high-fat group. Simvastatin was more effective than the extract in reducing LDL (P < 0.05), while neither treatment significantly altered aortic morphology (P > 0.05). Histological analysis showed a higher proportion of normal hepatocytes in the lime peel–treated groups, particularly at 100 mg/kg (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Ethanol extract of C. aurantifolia peel demonstrated hypocholesterolemic effects and partial improvement in liver histology in rats fed a high-fat diet, suggesting its potential as a supportive natural therapy for hypercholesterolemia. © 2023.
Department of Nursing, Polytechnic of Health Ministry of Health, Aceh, Aceh Besar, 23231, Indonesia; Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda, Indonesia
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