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Prospects in Bioscience: Addressing the Issues pp 399–404Cite as

Hypolipidemic Effect of Methanol Fraction of Acorus calamus Linn. in Diet-Induced Obese Rats

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Abstract

Acorus calamus Linn. is a traditional medicinal plant included in “lekhaneyagana” (which means “reduce excess fat”), a pharmacological classification mentioned by Charaka in Charakasamhita. Traditionally, this plant has been prescribed as a first-line treatment for many ailments such as digestive problems, diabetes, obesity, and related problems. The purpose of the present study was to check the effect of methanolic fraction of A. calamus on serum lipids, Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) enzyme, and apolipoproteins. We found that treatment of A. calamus at concentrations of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight was able to reduce total cholesterol (T-c), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels compared to model control group. A. calamus treatment results in activation of LCAT enzyme, which helps in the maturation of HDL-c. ApoA1 level was found to be increased considerably by the administration of A. calamus extract, and the Apo B level was decreased. GCMS analysis of the A. calamus extract showed the presence of compound, Friedelan-3-one. The result suggests the use of methanol fraction of A .calamus, as a potential drug for controlling the cholesterol level.

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Abbreviations

Apo A1:

Apolipoprotein A1

Apo B:

Apolipoprotein B

GCMS:

Gas chromatography mass spectrometry

HDL-c:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

LCAT:

Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase

LDL-c:

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

MSMS:

Tandem mass spectrometry

RT:

Retention time

T-c:

Total cholesterol

TG:

Triglycerides

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Acknowledgements

DBT-BIF, Govt. of India is gratefully acknowledged for the support for computational and other allied facilities. Arun KS is thankful to UGC-BSR, New Delhi, for providing the fellowship to carry out the research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Thalassery Campus, Kannur, 670661, Kerala, India

    K. S. Arun

  2. Inter University Centre for Bioscience, Kannur University, Kannur, 670661, India

    Anu Augustine

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  1. K. S. Arun
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  2. Anu Augustine
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Correspondence to Anu Augustine .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Dept of Biotechnology & Microbiology, Kannur University, Palayad P.O,Thalassery Campus, Kannur, 670661, Kerala, India

    Abdulhameed Sabu

  2. , Dept. of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Palayad P.O, Thalassery Campus, Kannur, 670661, Kerala, India

    Anu Augustine

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© 2012 Springer India

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Arun, K.S., Augustine, A. (2012). Hypolipidemic Effect of Methanol Fraction of Acorus calamus Linn. in Diet-Induced Obese Rats. In: Sabu, A., Augustine, A. (eds) Prospects in Bioscience: Addressing the Issues. Springer, India. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-0810-5_47

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