Effects of Mistletoe on the lipid profile and aorta of Triton WR-1339 treated wistar rats

Abstract

The effect of mistletoe on the lipid profile and aorta of triton wr-1339 treated Wistar rats was investigated in this study. 30 male Wistar rats (150g to 200g final weight) were divided into 6 groups of 5 rats each and were fed on normal rat chows, treated with triton and/or mistletoe extract for 6 weeks. The group treated with triton showed an increase in lipids level in the blood, groups treated with varying amount of mistletoe showed no statistically significant difference (P<0.05) when compared to that of the control group while the group treated with varying amount of Triton and then mistletoe showed decreased lipid level except for High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) in the group treated with reduced amount of mistletoe. The histology of Aorta in the group treated with triton showed focal erosion of the Tunica intima (TI), hyperplasia of smooth muscle of Tunica media (TM) and Tunica adventitia, these adverse effects caused by triton was ameliorated following treatment with mistletoe extract.

Key words: Heart, Mistletoe, Triton Wr-1339