**3. Discussion**

#### **3.1. Antilipidemic agents from Nigeria flora**

In Nigeria, traditional medicine has been the most popular means of healthcare from the olden days, before the emergence of alternative medicine in the form of synthetic agents. Traditional medicine can be said to be indigenous and a culture handed over to us by our anscestors as a means of surviving from various ailment obvious in every society. Due to high cost of synthetic drugs and side effects, natural products have become the best alternative strategy for the development of safe antilipidemic drugs. Various natural products both crude and isolated components found from plants are effective remedies for hyperlipidemia cases. Several proves are available in nature, indicating the positive effects of many natural product components that can be employed for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Ibrahim *et al*, 2013 stated that polyphenols as apigenin, genistein and catechins as well as saponins, sterols, stanols polyun‐ saturated fatty acids, mucilage and carbohydrates are good examples of agents found to exhibit potent hypocholesterolemic activities. Table3 summarizes the continuous investigations of Nigerian plants used as antihyperlipidemia from ethnopharmacological approach based on the folkloric claims.


into: Primary prevention- (i) initial treatment is diet/exercise and should be given three to six months on dietary therapy prior to beginning medication and longer if lipids are improving and nearing LDL thresholds (ii) obtain cholesterol tests starting at the age of 20 (iii) eat a diet low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol namely eat poultry without the skin, fish, vegetables, most fruits, whole grains, and skim milk (iv) reduce sugar intake (v) eat foods high in soluble fiber (vi) eat more cold water fish and soy products (vii) avoid cigarette smoking (viii) drink alcohol in moderation (two drinks per day for men, one drink per day for women) (ix) avoid overweight (x) exercise regularly and control blood sugar if diabetes is implicated (xi) increase physical activity (xii) consume a diet that contains adequate potassium, calcium, and magnesium to facilitate blood pressure control. Secondary prevention: Measuring lipids in adolescents that have strong family history of two or more coronary heart disease risk factors. In summary, US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III in its guidelines has communicated the importance of early identification of risk, lifestyle modification, and pharmacologic treatment as the mainstay of therapy for

**The Promise of Nigeria Natural Products**: Since the recognition of hyperlipiermia, a large number of plant species have been identified as having antihyperlipidermic properties and natural products are part of the current therapy for hyperlipidermia. Numerous natural products with antihyperlipidemic effect have been described in the literature. The objective of this chapter is to summarize the role of Nigeria natural products in the treatment and preven‐ tion of hyperlipidermia to date and to highlight specific classes of compounds that possess a requisite level of activity that would be considered worthy of further investigation as potential

In Nigeria, traditional medicine has been the most popular means of healthcare from the olden days, before the emergence of alternative medicine in the form of synthetic agents. Traditional medicine can be said to be indigenous and a culture handed over to us by our anscestors as a means of surviving from various ailment obvious in every society. Due to high cost of synthetic drugs and side effects, natural products have become the best alternative strategy for the development of safe antilipidemic drugs. Various natural products both crude and isolated components found from plants are effective remedies for hyperlipidemia cases. Several proves are available in nature, indicating the positive effects of many natural product components that can be employed for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Ibrahim *et al*, 2013 stated that polyphenols as apigenin, genistein and catechins as well as saponins, sterols, stanols polyun‐ saturated fatty acids, mucilage and carbohydrates are good examples of agents found to exhibit potent hypocholesterolemic activities. Table3 summarizes the continuous investigations of Nigerian plants used as antihyperlipidemia from ethnopharmacological approach based on

hyperlipidemia and in the prevention of cardiovascular-related death.

drug candidate.

**3. Discussion**

the folkloric claims.

**3.1. Antilipidemic agents from Nigeria flora**

246 Antioxidant-Antidiabetic Agents and Human Health


diabetes and other ailments like cushing's syndrome, renal disorder, pregnancy, polycystic ovary syndrome, underactive thyroid gland etc. Hyperlipidemia arising from high serum triglyceride or total cholesterol concentration or both has been reported in diabetic and hypertensive patients. Diabetics have been reported to be more prone to cardiovascular diseases including hypertension than non-diabetics (Bilbis et al, 2002). An overview of 40 medicinal plant species from Nigerian indigenous plants reported to have hypolipidemic effects are presented. Most of the reported hypolipidemic effects were on crude extracts and active constituents. Above 30 % of the investigated plant parts had effects on both lipid profile and glyceamic index. However, much still needs to be done on several phytoconstituents of these plants, as well as conduct clinical research on active constituents derived from them, especially in the determination of their levels of toxicity. Other Nigerian plants claimed to have positive effects on lipid profile but found to act as soup thickeners are yet to be investigated. The reported Nigerian plants in Table 3 are rich in soluble and dietary fibres ( examples, legumes, fruits and vegetables) and if found to have minimal toxicities, can be incorporated into dietary supplements. According to Ibrahim *et al*, (2013), the major advantage of natural hypolipidemic drugs over synthetic drugs is that many natural drugs exhibit their hypolipi‐ demic activity by different mechanisms. Plants are known to have a striking potential in the management of lipid metabolism and providing better therapeutic effects as an alternative

Plants with Hypolipidaemic Effects from Nigerian Flora

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/57181

249

The use of herbal or natural medicines for the treatment of various disorders has a long and extensive history. The reported plants have the potential to act as lipid-lowering agents with minimal side effects (advantage over currently synthetic drugs) and thus could find their way onto the world market as alternatives to prescribed drugs currently available to treat hyper‐ lipidermia. Most of the studies were carried out with crude extract and administered orally. The principal families in which such activity has been reported are Acanthaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Azoaceae, Combretaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae, Finally, all the plant species appear to be promising as hypolipidemic agents with activity mediated through

Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Scien‐

, Charles Okeke Nnadi, Akachukwu Ibezim and Chika John Mbah

medicine.

**4. Conclusion**

various mechanisms.

**Author details**

Ngozi Justina Nwodo\*

\*Address all correspondence to: ngozi.nwodo@unn.edu.ng

ces, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Enugu State, Nigeria

**Table 3.** Medicinal plants investigated in Nigeria for use as Antihypolipidemic agent

These plants have been identified, authenticated and investigated from Nigeria flora against hyperlipidemia, using pharmacological validated animal models. They all have levels and with some levels of increase in LDL, TC, TG and decrease in HDL. Furthermore, there has been recent interest on the research towards hyperlipidemia due to its obvious relationship with diabetes and other ailments like cushing's syndrome, renal disorder, pregnancy, polycystic ovary syndrome, underactive thyroid gland etc. Hyperlipidemia arising from high serum triglyceride or total cholesterol concentration or both has been reported in diabetic and hypertensive patients. Diabetics have been reported to be more prone to cardiovascular diseases including hypertension than non-diabetics (Bilbis et al, 2002). An overview of 40 medicinal plant species from Nigerian indigenous plants reported to have hypolipidemic effects are presented. Most of the reported hypolipidemic effects were on crude extracts and active constituents. Above 30 % of the investigated plant parts had effects on both lipid profile and glyceamic index. However, much still needs to be done on several phytoconstituents of these plants, as well as conduct clinical research on active constituents derived from them, especially in the determination of their levels of toxicity. Other Nigerian plants claimed to have positive effects on lipid profile but found to act as soup thickeners are yet to be investigated. The reported Nigerian plants in Table 3 are rich in soluble and dietary fibres ( examples, legumes, fruits and vegetables) and if found to have minimal toxicities, can be incorporated into dietary supplements. According to Ibrahim *et al*, (2013), the major advantage of natural hypolipidemic drugs over synthetic drugs is that many natural drugs exhibit their hypolipi‐ demic activity by different mechanisms. Plants are known to have a striking potential in the management of lipid metabolism and providing better therapeutic effects as an alternative medicine.
