Physiological and Molecular Studies on the Effect of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Peel and Some of its Bioactive Components against Hyperlipidemia-Induced Atherosclerosis in Male Albino Rats

Abstract

Atherosclerosis and its complications continue to be the major cause of premature death in the developed countries. Oxidative stress is one of the major risk factors for atherosclerosis. Free radical-induced lipid peroxidation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a source of some very potent antioxidants, especially its peels extract, which had the highest free radical scavenging capacity among various medicinal plants. Here, the aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the modulatory effects of four treatments; low dose (LD) and high dose (HD) of aqueous pomegranate peel extract (PPE); 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight (bw), EA (1 mg/kg bw) and PC (7 mg/kg bw), given orally and daily for 6 weeks, against hyperlipidemia-induced atherosclerosis of male albino rats, which fed a high fat diet (HFD) containing 2% cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid and 20% cocoa butter daily for six weeks. The experimental