In this study we investigated the hypolipidemic and anti-lipoprotein-oxidation activities of phenolic extract from sweet basil a popular culinary herb.The hypolipidemic activity was studied in mice model injected intraperitoneally with Triton WR-1339 at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight.The animals were grouped as follows:normolipidemic control group(n=8),hyperlipidemic control group(n=8)and phenolic extract-treated group(n=8)at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight.After 7 h and 24 h treatment,the oral administration of the phenolic extract exerts a significant reduction of plasma total cholesterol,triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol concentrations(P<0.001).On the other hand,we demonstrated that the phenolic extract prevents plasma lipid oxidation by 16%(P<0.001),20%(P<0.001),32%(P<0.001)and 44%(P<0.001)at a doses of 10,25,50 and 100g/mL,respectively.The results were compared with ascorbic acid used as standard synthetic antioxidant.HPLC analysis shows that the extract contains 4 major phenolics and is especially rich in rosmarinic acid.This finding indicates that the phenolic extract might be beneficial in lowering hyperlipidemia and preventing atherosclerosis.
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