I. B. Ekeigwe, I. C. Ikegwuonu, I. K. Uchendu,
C. A. Uchenna, U. C. Okongwu

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Nigeria, Enugu;
email: ikenna.uchendu@unn.edu.ng

Received: 01 March 2019; Accepted: 17 May 2019

Coronary atherosclerosis is known to be associated with cardiomyopathy in patients worldwide. Present­ly there is a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk across the globe and the cost of heart disease treating is very high.  Therefore, prevention of heart diseases has become the better or easier option. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of Curcuma longa aqueous extract (AECL) in hypercholesterolaemic rats. To achieve this 40 rats were randomly devided into four groups with 10 rats per group. Rats from the group I (normal control) received no treatment. High cholesterol diet (2 g/kg, oral) and high dose of anti-thyroid hormone drug carbimazole (60 mg/kg, oral) were administered once daily for 8 weeks to induce hypercholesterolaemia in rats of II-IV groups. Group II served as toxic (negative) control and group III (positive control) was treated with a standard lipid-lowering drug atorvastatin (20 mg/kg, oral). Group IV received AECL (200 mg/kg) once daily for 8 weeks. For lipid profile analysis the total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides levels were estimated and creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate transminase activities as cardiac biomarkers were assayed in blood serum using standard methods. The histopathological analysis of the heart tissue was carried out. It was shown that AECL significantly reduced hyperlipidaemia, stabilized cardiac biochemical markers and protected the cardiac muscle fibers from injury. The results of the present study suggest that the Curcuma longa extract has cardioprotective potential, and can be used to prevent hypercholesterolaemia-induced myocardial injury.