Print ISSN 2319-2003 | Online ISSN 2279-0780 doi: 10.5455/2319-2003.ijbcp20150229 IJBCP International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology www.ijbcp.com International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology | January-February 2015 | Vol 4 | Issue 1 Page 148 Research Article To evaluate and compare the hypoglycemic, antioxidant and hypolipidemic effect of lycopene with atorvastatin in hyperlipidemic New Zealand white rabbits Sarita Mulkalwar*, Bhalchandra Rane, Niranjan Munjal, Pravin Golande, Lopamudra Behera INTRODUCTION Despite the changes in lifestyles and the use of new pharmacologic approaches to lower cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the principal cause of death. Nearly 17 million deaths are attributed to this disease. CVD is a collective term for all the diseases of heart and blood vessels. 1 Numerous epidemiological investigations have characterized the risk pattern for coronary heart disease. In particular age, sex, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, low high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, diabetes mellitus and cigarette smoking are the key risk factors for coronary heart disease. 2 Atherosclerosis is one of the most widespread conditions that threaten human health and survival. The basic pathogenesis involves an insult to the endothelial and smooth muscle cells of the arterial wall by various harmful factors such as viral infection, mechanical damage and dyslipidemia, especially abnormal oxidized LDL levels, leading to an excessive chronic infammatory or fbro proliferative response. The pathologic process results in a progressive accumulation of lipids and fibrous elements in the large arteries. 3 Hypercholesterolemia is a known major risk factor for atherosclerosis. It can result from endogenous causes or from exogenous dietary source. Dietary hypercholesterolemia may result from increased intake of cholesterol or saturated fatty acids. Hypercholesterolemia, regardless of cause, infuences the development of atherosclerosis. 4 There is convincing scientifc evidence in support of the association between diet and chronic diseases. Based which, dietary guidelines have been formulated around the world for prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, CVDs, diabetes and osteoporosis. One of their main recommendations of is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables that are good sources of carotenoids and other biologically active phytochemicals. In recent years, oxidative ABSTRACT Background: During recent years, the carotenoid lycopene has attracted much attention for its potentially benefcial cardiovascular effects, which is located mainly in tomato peels. The antioxidant properties of tomatoes has been extensively studied for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, but the benefcial effects of pure lycopene supplement is still debatable. Therefore, this study was planned to evaluate and compare the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of pure lycopene powder and to compare it with that of atorvastatin in hyperlipidemic New Zealand white rabbits. Methods: Adult male New Zealand white rabbits (1.5-2.5 kg) were divided into three groups of six animals each. Group I - High fat diet (HFD) (5 ml/kg). Group II - HFD (5 ml/kg) + lycopene (10 mg/kg) orally. Group III - HFD (5 ml/kg) + atorvastatin (5 mg/kg) orally. Blood samples were taken from all 18 rabbits for baseline estimation of blood sugar levels (BSL), lipid levels and blood superoxide dismutase levels. Same tests were performed in all groups after 6 weeks. Results: The lipid lowering activity of atorvastatin 5 mg/kg was better than that of lycopene while the antioxidant activity of lycopene was better than that of atorvastatin. Both the results were statistically signifcant. There was no signifcant difference in fasting BSLs in both the groups. Conclusion: Findings suggest that lycopene may have considerable therapeutic beneft as an antioxidant and hypolipidemic agent, but may not be effective as a hypoglycemic agent. Keywords: Antioxidant, Superoxide dismutase, High fat diet Department of Pharmacology, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra, India Received: 21 December 2014 Accepted: 11 January 2015 *Correspondence to: Dr. Sarita Mulkalwar, Email: smulkal@hotmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open- access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non- Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non- commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.