Validation of anti-hyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective activity of Gynura procumbens in an in-vivo high-fat-diet model and through an in silico approach

Introduction In today's world, elevated lipid levels or hyperlipidemia has become a major issue in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. Hyperlipidemia can cause fatal diseases like stroke, heart attack, coronary artery disorders, etc. There are many classes of drugs to control the fat levels in our body. However, if we could discover drugs from nature, it would be beneficial for mankind in terms of both cost and side effects. Objective Using 95 % ethanolic extract, a group of researchers got significant anti-hyperlipidemic activity from Gynura procumbens . According to that study, we changed our extraction solvent and used 70 % ethanol instead of 95 %. In this solvent system, the hydrophobic constituent will exist in a diminished quantity than that of a 95 % ethanolic extract. In consequence, the concentration of major hydrophobic anti-hyperlipidemic compounds, e.g., β-Sitosterol and β-Stigmasterol will be decreased in the extract. If our extract can still impart similar significant activity to 95 % ethanolic extract, then it can be inferred that Gynura procumbens may contain sufficient hydrophilic constituents that possess anti-hyperlipidemic activity. We aim to explore whether our plant extract contains some hydrophilic anti-hyperlipidemic constituent or not. Materials and methods Gynura procumbens leaves were collected and extracted using 70 % ethanol. The required chemicals, alloxan, CCl4, standard drug (rosuvastatin), and blood serum analysis kits were stocked. The in vivo tests were performed in 96 healthy Wister albino male rats under well-controlled parameters divided into 16 groups, strictly maintaining Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IEAC) protocols. We have used 10 % buffered neutral formalin in our histopathological study for organ preservation. Later, the specimens were studied under a fluorescence microscope. In silico molecular docking and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) studies were performed, and the results were analyzed statistically. Results and discussion We have seen that ethanolic extract of Gynura procumbens can restore the disturbed hyperlipidemic condition of rats in a dose-dependent but non-significant manner (p > 0.05). On the contrary, rosuvastatin can effectively reverse the disrupted pathological state. Besides, we observed that the high fat diet crucially enhances the body weight and plant extract slowed down the process. In addition, the study reveals significantly (p < 0.05) reduced levels of liver function biomarkers, such as SGPT and SGOT, in comparison to the corresponding disease-controlled group. Also, we found significant (p < 0.05) decreases in kidney function biomarkers, urea and creatinine, as compared to the respective disease control groups, as our control medication demonstrates. Furthermore, histopathological studies also displayed that Gynura procumbens can reverse the states of histopathological parameters related to inflammation in a dose-dependent manner. Computational studies also proved the efficacy of this plant against hyperlipidemic parameters. Conclusion According to our research, the 70 % ethanolic extract of G. procumbens can non-significantly (P < 0.05) impart antihyperlipidemic activity. So, it is very unlikely that gynura procumbens have some potent hydrophilic anti-hyper-lipidemic constituent. Future research for exploring the chemistry, appropriate extraction solvent system, and pharmacology of hydrophobic parts (e.g. β-Sitosterol and β-Stigmasterol) of plants could open up a new doorway for the development of antihyperlipidemic medications derived from this plant that can enrich the hyperlipidemia management system.