Anti-hypercholesterolemic effect of Zingiber montanum extract.

Background: Hypercholesterolemia, high cholesterol levels in the blood, can contribute to many forms of disease, most notably cardiovascular disease. Anti-hypercholesterolemic agents generally used for those conditions have several side effects for patients. Zingiber montanum , known locally as "bangle", belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and is a potential plants for alternative anti-hypercholesterolemic agents. This plant, from East Kalimantan, is used in traditional medicine for health problems caused by high cholesterol levels. The aim of this research was to find alternatives to anti-hypercholesterolemic agents, especially from natural sources. Methods: This study was an experimental study using 30 Wistar male white rats. Subjects were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=5): (1) normal control group; (2) high fat diet control group; (3) high fat diet with simvastatin; (4-6) high fat diet with Zingiber montanum extracts 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg. After 4 weeks of treatment, blood was collected from all groups, and plasma concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoproteins (HDL), and low density lipoproteins (LDL) were measured. Results: The results showed significant differences in total cholesterol (p=0.000), LDL (p=0.000) and triglycerides (p=0.001) in the high-fat diet group with Z. montanum extract, as compared to the high-fat diet control. Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in HDL levels (p=0.830) between the high-fat diet group and other groups. The results also showed significant differences in total cholesterol and LDLs for rats treated with Z. montanum extract, 100 mg/kg (p=0.000), 200 mg/kg (p=0.000), and 400 mg/kg (p=0.000) compared to the high-fat diet group. The result of Z. montanum 400 mg/kg also showed a significant reduction, not only for total cholesterol and LDLs, but also for triglycerides (p=0.030). Conclusion: It could be concluded that Z. montanum extracts have the potency to be further developed as a new natural source of the anti-hypercholesterolemic agents.