Abstract

A REVIEW ON HYPOLIPIDAEMIC AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS

Suresh Chandra Joshi*, Pratibha Kumari Jain

ABSTRACT

Atherosclerosis which results from gradual deposition of lipids in medium and large arteries is increasing at an alarming rate world over. More than 25 million persons in the United States have at least one clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis and in many more, atherosclerosis remains an occult but imperative forerunner of significant cardiovascular events. Atherosclerosis (AS) is a systemic cardiovascular disease with important sequelae in many other regional circulations, including those supplying the brain, kidneys, mesentery, and limbs. Hyperlipidaemia is a major cause of atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis associated vascular territories. Furthermore, disorders of lipid metabolism are associated with increased oxidative stress and overproduction of oxygen free radicals. Traditional medicinal plants having antilipidaemic property can prove to be the useful source for the development of new oral hypolipidaemic agents or simple dietary adjuvant to existing therapies. In view of this the present review is written to explore anti-hyperlipidaemic and antioxidant activity as well as phytoconstituents of some commonly used medicinal plants.

Keywords: Anti-hyperlipidaemic, Antioxidant, Antihypercholesterolemic, Phytochemicals, Medicinal plants.