Background: Thymus willdenowii Boiss & Reut. (T. willdenowii) is a medicinal plant that grows in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains. It is used in local folk medicine to treat several disorders including cardiovascular disease. Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of the traditionally used aqueous extract of T. willdenowii. Methods: The extraction of the plant was assessed using the traditionally used decoction method. Total contents of polyphenols (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and tannins (TTC) were estimated and in vitro antioxidant assays namely DPPH, FRAP, and TAC were carried out to evaluate its antioxidant potential. Moreover, the anti-hyperlipidemic activity was tested on rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) containing sucrose (15%), lard (15%), and cholesterol (2%). Thyme extract was given daily at 500 mg/kg. Results: After 2 months of treatment, lipid profile parameters and arylesterase activity were determined. The findings showed that T. willdenowii extract is rich in phenolic compounds (TPC = 127.34 GAE mg/gE; TFC = 105.43 RE mg/gE; TTC = 24.08 CE mg/gE) and exhibits important antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50 = 0.41 mg/mL; FRAP value = 1.31 Fe2+E mM; TAC value = 322.13 AAE µg/gE). Moreover, T. willdenowii extract significantly reduced the alterations caused by HFD intake by decreasing blood lipids (TC: -28.19 %; TGs: -22.82 %; LDL-C: -35.11 %) and increasing paraoxonase-1 arylesterase activity (+12.83 %). Conclusion: We conclude that the traditional use of T. willdenowii is effective in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.
Thymus munbyanus Boiss. & Reut., is a small shrub endemic to Morocco and Algeria, and it is commonly used to treat several diseases, including digestive, circulatory, genital, skin, urinary, nervous and respiratory diseases. The extracts of this thyme are rich in a wide variety of phenolic compounds such as polyphenols and volatile phenols and exhibit numerous biological activities. The present review summarizes the literature investigations reported on Thymus munbyanus concerning various pharmacological and biological properties as well as phytochemical aspects. This species revealed a richness in phenolic compounds in its volatile oils, including thymol and carvacrol, as well as in its non-volatile extracts including phenolic acids phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, salvianolic acid, ferulic acid, etc.), flavonoids (luteolin, gallocatechin, quercetin, isorhamnetin, etc.). Moreover, powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were reported for this Thymus species, which are attributed to its richness in bioactive antioxidants. Furthermore, this thyme was found to possess important nephroprotective, hepatoprotective, and tumor cytotoxic properties. In conclusion, Thymus munbyanus is an important natural source of bioactive phenolic compounds that can be used for developing alternative natural drugs for the treatment and prevention of several pathologies.
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