Effects of Fig tree (Ficus carica) leaf extracts on serum and liver cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemic rats

The effects of three Ficus carica leaf extracts on the total cholesterol levels (TC) of serum and liver were investigated in experimentally-induced nutritional hyperlipidemic rats. In nine treatment groups (n=5 each group), hyperlipidemic rats were treated daily with hydromethanolic (total) extract (2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [ip]) and its aqueous fractions, namely fraction A (10, 50, 250 mg/kg, ip) and fraction B (10, 50, 250 mg/kg, ip) for eight days. In negative and positive control groups, animals received normal and hyperlipidemic diets with ip injections of normal saline, respectively. The lipid-lowering effect of total extract on liver cholesterol was more pronounced than that of serum. Fraction A caused a significant dose-dependent decrease in cholesterol levels in both the serum and the liver (p