Hibiscus sabdariffa L., a local soft drink material and medicinal herb, is usually used effectively in native medicines against hypertension, pyrexia, and liver disorders. Here, we report an extract, HSE (H. sabdariffa extract), which is designed to exhibit hypolipidemia and antiatherosclerotic effects in rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis. New Zealand White rabbits were fed with a normal diet, high cholesterol (1.3%), lard oil (3%) diet (HCD) with or without 0.5 or 1% HSE for 10 weeks. The levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were lower in the serum of rabbits fed HCD plus HSE than in the serum of rabbits fed HCD. Feeding HSE (0.5 and 1% in the diet) to rabbits significantly reduced severe atherosclerosis in the aorta. Histopathological examination showed that HSE reduced foam cell formation and inhibited smooth muscle cell migration and calcification in the blood vessel of rabbits. These results suggest that HSE inhibits serum lipids and shows an antiatherosclerotic activity.

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Hibiscus sabdariffa L extract (HSE) is an aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L flowers that is used as a local soft drink and medical herb in Taiwan. Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been shown to increase the incidence of atherosclerosis. In this study, we determined the antioxidative activity of HSE on LDL oxidation by examining relative electrophoretic mobilities (REM) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). The data revealed an inhibitory effect of HSE on Cu 2+ -mediated REM and TBARS. HSE exhibited a remarkable ability to reduce cholesterol degradation and ApoB fragmentation. Overall, HSE showed a high potency to inhibit the production of oxidized LDL induced by copper and, specifically, to reduce serum triglycerides in high-fructose diet (HFD) fed rats and serum cholesterol in high-cholesterol diet (HCD) fed animals. The levels of LDL and the ratio of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) to HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were reduced by HSE in both hyperlipidaemiamodels. Based on these findings, we suggest that HSE may be used to inhibit LDL oxidation and to prevent various types of hyperlipidaemia in HFD-or HCD-fed rats.