The effects of Anethum on plasma lipid and lipoprotein in normal and diabetic rats fed high fat diets

Hypelipidemia is considered to be a major risk factor in the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and is associated with increase in the incidence of cardiac events. Anethum is used as a lipid lowering in Iran. The present study investigated the hypolipidemic effects of Anethum in normal and streptozocin- induced diabetic rats fed high fat diet. Animals were treated once with streptozocin (60 mg/kg i.p) and two days later normal and diabetic rats were under a special high fat diet. One week after initiation of the special high fat diet animals were treated daily by oral administration of Anethum. All treatments continued for three weeks after which blood samples were collected -following an overnight fast- from retro-orbital sinus and the serum was separated. Then total triglyceride total cholesterol and HDL-C in each serum sample were determined enzymatically using commercial kits and serum LDL-C levels were derived using the Friedewald formula. In both normal and diabetic rats fed high fat diet blood levels of glucose lipids and LDL-C were increased as compared with control normal rats. Furthermore in normal rats fed high fat diet Anethum significantly decreased triglyceride (P