Fauzan Azima 1*, Novizar 1, Yusrawati 2, Tuty Anggraini 1, Desniarti 3, Muhammad Iqbal 1 and Dina Intan Rizki 1
1Department of Food Technology and Agricultural Product, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Andalas, Padang 25163, Indonesia; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Padang 25163, Indonesia; 3Department of Agricultural Industry Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Andalas, Padang 25163, Indonesia
*Corresponding author: fauzandes@yahoo.com; fauzanazima@ae.unand,ac.id
Hypercholesterolemia and hypertension are two major and closely related cardiovascular disease risk factors. Concerns about the long-term safety of conventional pharmacotherapy have sparked interest in natural product-based intervention. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-hypercholesterolemic, anti-hypertensive and cardioprotective effects of a combined extract of Cassiavera, Dayak onion, and morel berry (CMD) in Wistar rats with HFD-induced hypercholesterolemia and L-NAME-induced hypertension. The rats were assigned to six groups: normal (H1), hypercholesterolemic (H2), hypertensive (H3), hypercholesterolemic treated with CMD (H4), hypertensive treated with CMD (H5), and hypercholesterolemic-hypertensive treated with CMD (H6). CMD was given by oral gavage at a dose of 90 mg/kg body weight for 3 weeks. The antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH assay (IC50). Body weight was monitored weekly, whereas total cholesterol and blood pressure were measured periodically using the CHOD-PAP and tail-cuff methods, respectively. At the end of the experiment, organ weights, total leukocytes, and histopathological changes were evaluated. CMD showed strong antioxidant activity (IC50 = 82.5 ± 0.02 ppm) and significantly reduced total cholesterol and blood pressure in the treated groups. It also reduced histopathological damage in cardiac, hepatic, and renal tissues. Conclusions: Our results suggest that CMD has potential as a natural adjunct therapy for the management of hypercholesterolemia and hypertension.