Antihyperlipidemic Effect of Active Principle Isolated from Seed of Eugenia jambolana on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rabbits Suman B. Sharma, Reenu S. Tanwar, Afreena Nasir, and Krishna M. Prabhu Department of Biochemistry, University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, Delhi, India ABSTRACT Diabetes is accompanied by lipid abnormalities, which contribute significantly to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. We previously demonstrated the potent antihyperglycemic activity of the active principle (fraction II from Sephadex LH 20 chromatography [LH II]) isolated from ethanolic seed extract of Eugenia jambolana in diabetic rabbits. In the present study, the efficacy of LH II was evaluated for its hypolipidemic activity in alloxan-induced mildly diabetic (MD) and severely diabetic (SD) rabbits. Phytochemical investigation of LH II by various structural spectra showed the presence of saturated fatty acid, D 5 lipid, and sterol. Oral administration of LH II (10 mg=kg of body weight) for 21 days resulted in improved glycemic control in both MD and SD rabbits. After treatment with LH II, serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the total cholesterol=high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were significantly improved. LH II also resulted in significant (P < .001) improvement in 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase activity and levels of total lipids and glycogen in both MD and SD rabbits. Thus, the present study demonstrates that LH II possesses potent hypolipidemic activity and efficacy in both MD and SD rabbits. KEY WORDS:  alloxan  diabetes  Eugenia jambolana  hypolipidemic INTRODUCTION T he metabolism of all fuels, including carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, is altered in diabetes; patients with diabetes have lipid disorders and an increased risk of car- diovascular, peripheral vascular, and cerebrovascular dis- eases. 1,2 Diabetes is associated with profound alterations in the plasma lipids and lipoproteins profile and with an in- creased risk of premature atherosclerosis, coronary insuffi- ciency, and myocardial infarction. 3 Accumulation of lipids in diabetes is mediated through a variety of derangements in metabolic and regulatory pro- cesses, especially insulin deficiency, thereby rendering the diabetic patient more prone to hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. 4 The search for new hypolipidemic drugs has gained momentum over the years, resulting in numerous reports on significant activities of natural agents. 5 Plant products are frequently considered to be less toxic with fewer side effects than synthetic agents. Many indigenous Indian medicinal plants have been found to be useful for treating diabetes. Despite the intro- duction of hypoglycemic agents from natural and synthetic sources, diabetes and its secondary complications continue to be major medical challenges. Eugenia jambolana (Family Myrtaceae; common name, black plum=blackberry in En- glish and Jamun=Jambul in Hindi) is a large tree found in forests throughout most of India, Thailand, and Philippines. The antihyperglycemic activity of aqueous and ethanolic seed extracts of E. jambolana is well documented. 6–14 However, few studies have isolated and studied the active principle from ethanolic seed extract of E. jambolana. In continuation of our research with E. jambolana, 15 we as- sessed the efficacy of the active principle (fraction II from Sephadex LH 20 chromatography [LH II]) isolated from seeds of E. jambolana on lipidemic control in both mildly diabetic (MD) and severely diabetic (SD) rabbit models of diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant material Fruits of E. jambolana were obtained from the Azadpur Mandi (an herbal market) in Delhi, India and identified with the help of a botanist. A voucher specimen (number P- 96=7) was stored at the Botanical Garden, Kolkata, India. Animals Male albino rabbits (weighing 1–1.5 kg) were obtained from the Central Animal House, University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India. Rabbits were maintained on commercial diet (Hindustan Lever Ltd., Mumbai, India) and water ad libitum. They were housed at a temperature of Manuscript received 12 June 2010. Revision accepted 9 December 2010. Address correspondence to: Suman Bala Sharma, Department of Biochemistry, Uni- versity College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, Delhi 110095, India, E-mail: drsbs08@hotmail.com JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL FOOD J Med Food 14 (4) 2011, 353–359 # Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition DOI: 10.1089=jmf.2010.1227 353