Background. Adansonia digitata is a plant used against cardiovascular disorders in African folk medicine. We assessed the effects of the aqueous extract of its stem bark on the development of hypertension in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats. Methods. The animals were administered L-NAME once daily for 3 weeks (25 mg/kg, i.p.), concomitantly with aqueous extract of A. digitata stem bark (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) or captopril (20 mg/kg, p.o.). Then, hemodynamic and electrocardiographic parameters, oxidative stress markers, and the lipid profile were assessed in the blood and heart, aorta, and kidney homogenates, and histopathological analyses were performed. Results. L-NAME-induced hypertensive control animals, but not the animals concomitantly treated with A. digitata extract, displayed increases in the mean arterial blood pressure (21.64% difference, p<0.001, vs. dose 200 mg/kg), systolic arterial blood pressure (21.33%, p<0.001), and the diastolic arterial blood pressure (21.84%, p<0.001). In addition, hypertensive control animals displayed (i) increases in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, and creatinine levels, malondialdehyde and transaminase activities, and atherogenic index; (ii) decreases in serum HDL, catalase, reduced glutathione, and nitric oxide; and (iii) aorta wall thickening, inflammatory cell infiltration, and cell loss in the cardiac muscle and renal tissues. As captopril, the extract prevented hypertension-like changes in lipid profile, cardiac, hepatic, and renal affection indicators, and oxidative stress markers. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that the extract of A. digitata has antihypertensive and antioxidant effects in L-NAME-induced hypertension rat models. These effects partly justify the traditional medicine use against cardiovascular disorders.
The effects of climate change have had a major impact on forage availability in the Sahel and Saharan regions of Chad in recent years. This has led to the migration of farmers in search of long-distance grazing, thus impacting the potential of the animals to produce good quality milk and meat. It is with this in mind that this study was conducted on the knowledge of feeding practices of animals in the provinces of Wadi-Fira and West-Ennedi (Chad) during the lean period. More specifically, it is a question of collecting some information on the plants consumed by the animals and the way in which the breeders formulate the food ration of their herds in times of deficit. It emerges from this investigation that the herds of animals in the province of Wadi-Fira faced with forage deficit and adapted by consuming the leaves, fruits and seeds of certain tropical plants such as Capparis decidua, Ziziphus mauritiana, Balanites aegyptiaca, Acacia tortilis, Boscia senegalensis, Salvadora percica and Tribulis terristris to compensate for food shortages. This same observation was made in the province of West-Ennedi, since this area is desert with annual precipitation of 150 mm. Natural pasture is only available around water points (ouadis and oasis) in a small area with a high number of herds. Thus, the herds also face a drastic lack of grazing during the deficit periods. However, they adapt by consuming the leaves, fruits and seeds of plants such as Bauhinia sp., Boscia senegalenis, Acacia tortilis, Tribulis terristris, Boscia angustifolia, Bicoma tomentosa, Blepharis linarifolia and Aristida funiculata during lean periods to meet their food requirements. The formulation of the feed ration for animals differs from one area to another. It is mainly based on residues from cereals such as millet (Panicum miliaceum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor).
Objective: Poor control of hypercholesterolemia which mediated by overproduction of reactive oxygen species and endothelial dysfunction leads to atherosclerosis. The present study aimed to investigate the antihypercholesterolemic and anti-atherogenic effects of Adansonia digitata (AD) in heated palm oil/cholesterol supplemented with egg yolk in rat. Methods: Quantitative phytochemical screening of aqueous extract of A. digitata was carried out to identify the phytoconstituents. In vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential was evaluated. The antihypercholesterolemic and anti-atherosclerosis activity of A. digitata was evaluated by inducing hypercholesterolemia in rats with heated palm oil/cholesterol diet supplemented with egg yolk for 10 w. At the end of the induction period, animals were divided into 5 groups of 8 rats each after 6 w of induction: Group I (normocholesterolemic rat, NCR), Group II (hypercholesterolemia rat, HCR), Group III (Atorvastatin 2 mg/kg), Groups IV (AD. 100 mg/kg) and V (AD. 200 mg/kg). Hemodynamic parameters, lipid profile, atherogenic indices and oxidative stress markers were evaluated. Results: Adansonia digitata significantly reduced the systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP), diastolic arterial blood pressure (DBP), pulsatile pressure (PP) and heart rate compared to the hypercholesterolemic group. Plant extract reveal important flavonoids and phenolic contents and has significant in vivo antioxidant efficacy. The higher dose (200 mg/kg) of the extract significantly reduced in the level of total cholesterol by 27.29 %, triglycerides by 27.60 % and the LDL-c by 36.04 % meanwhile the HDL-c increased by 277.47 % when compared to 5HPOC treated group. Atorvastatin (2 mg/kg) administered in addition to 5HPOC significantly improved in lipid profile as compared to untreated rats. Furthermore, the histopathological examination of aorta of 5HPOC-treated rats indicated that the aqueous extract of A. digitata significantly attenuated atherosclerosis lesions. Conclusion: The aqueous extract of A. digitata possessed antihypercholesterolemic and anti-atherogenic effects via modulation overproduction of reactive oxygen species and endothelial dysfunction.
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