Author(s): Hamid Reza Soltani, Alireza Vahidi, Mohammad Dehgham-Tezerjani, Mohammad Javaherchian, Seyed Ali Shiryazdi
Background: Hyperlipidemia is a chronic disease whose current treatments are proper diet and chemical drugs. The evaluation of accessible medicinal plants has an important role in the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia. In this study, we investigated the effect of sumac (Rhuscoriaria) extract on blood lipid profile in white Wistar rats. Methods: This laboratory animal experiment was conducted over 4 weeks on 21 white Wistar rats. The rats were divided into three groups and were fed by normal diet, fatty diet without sumac extract, and fatty diet with sumac extract. Rats were excluded if they exhibited sick-like behaviors. Data were analyzed in SPSS v. 16 software using analysis of variance and least significant difference tests. Results: Themean weight of the rats was 310±26 g. From the second week to the end of the study, the mean blood cholesterol was significantly different in the rats that received a fatty diet with sumac compared to the rats in the control group (P=0.001). Also during the study, mean triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the rats that received a fatty diet with sumac compared to the rats in the control group (P=0.047). During the study, too, mean high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein levels showed no significant change (P=0.641). Conclusion: We found that, in a small sample of white Wistar rats, sumac with a fatty diet effectively reduced blood cholesterol and may possibly assist in the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia. <