In vitro Screening of alcoholic and hydroalcoholic extracts of Ayurvedic medicinal plants for the management of hyperlipidemia

Background: In Ayurveda, obesity is regarded as ‘Medoroga’, a disorder of lipid metabolism. Hyperlipidemia is one of the causes of obesity. It is a condition when abnormally high levels of lipids (fatty substances) are found in the blood.

Aim: The objective of the present study is to explore pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of plants used in Indian system of medicine i.e. Ayurveda.

Method: In the present study, thirty one ‘Lekhenya’ plants were selected from the Ayurveda. Air-dried and finely powdered material (2.0 g) from 31 plants was extracted with ethanol and hydro-alcohol (50:50; v/v) (3 × 10 ml) using cold percolation. The inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity of different plant extracts and orlistat (positive control) was measured in vitro using a spectrophotometric assay.

Results : In vitro lipase inhibition assay showed that six plants, namely Sterosperum servolides (Roxb.) D.C, Prunus cerasoides D. Don, Murraya koenigii L., Putranjiva roxburghii Wall., Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees, Ocimum scantum linn, exhibited IC₅₀ values lower than 100 (µg/ml).

Conclusion: The study indicated that lipase inhibition potential of Ayurvedic plants might be useful for the management of obesity, what correlates with ethnopharmacological data on the use of these plants in Indian traditional medicines.