Hypolipidemic activity of aqueous extract of Capparis spinosa L. in normal and diabetic rats

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of single and repeated oral administrations of the aqueous extract of Capparis spinosa L. (CS) at a dose of 20 mg/kg on lipid metabolism in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. In normal rats, the aqueous extract of CS induced a significant decrease on plasma triglycerides concentrations 1 week ( p < 0.05) and 2 weeks ( p < 0.01) after once daily repeated oral administration. A significant decrease of plasma cholesterol levels was also observed 4 days ( p < 0.05) and 1 week ( p < 0.05) after repeated oral administration. In diabetic rats, CS treatment caused a significant decrease of plasma triglycerides levels after repeated oral administration. Four days after repeated oral administration of aqueous CS extract, the plasma cholesterol levels were significantly decreased ( p < 0.05) and still dropped after 2 weeks ( p < 0.01). On the other hand, the repeated oral administration of CS aqueous extract caused a significant decrease of body weight 4 days after repeated oral treatment in diabetic rats ( p < 0.05). We conclude that the aqueous extract of CS (20 mg/kg) exhibits a potent lipid lowering activity in both normal and severe hyperglycemic rats after repeated oral administration of CS aqueous extract.