Hypolipidemic Activity of Aqueous Extract of Turnip (Brassica rapa) Root in Hyperlipidemic Rats

Aims: Turnip is one of the most consumed medicinal plants that seem to have advantageous efficacy on hyperlipidemia. The present work was undertaken to evaluate the hypolipidemic activity of aqueous extract of Brassica rapa root on hyperlipidemic rats. Materials & Methods: In this experimental study 40 male Wistar rats were divided into 5 equal groups; normal control, hyperlipidemic control (1ml normal saline once a day), Atorvastatin (10mg/kg of body weight per day) and aqueous extract of Brassica rapa root groups (200 and 400mg/kg of body weight per day) were treated for 10 days. After 18h fasting in 11th day, hyperlipidemia was induced by a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of triton WR1339 (300mg/kg of body weight) in all groups except normal control. 24 hours after injection, blood collection was done and plasma analyzed for lipid profiles. Data was compared between group s by ANOVA and Tukey tests in SPSS 18 software. Findings: Aqueous extract of Brassica rapa root inhibited the elevation of plasma total cholesterol level at the dose of 200mg/kg of body weight. The extract also decreased LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in hyperlipidemic rats significantly but in compare to normal control group these levels were significantly high (p<0.05). Conclusion: The consumption of turnip may act as a potent antihyperlipidemic nutrient for patients with dyslipidemia, cardiovascular and diabetes diseases.