Antiatherogenic activity of Dendropanax morbifera essential oil in rats

In Korea, Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae) is commonly used in traditional medicines for various diseases. We evaluated the hypolipidemic activity of D. morbifera essential oil (DMEO) in male Wistar rats (weight, 160 +/- 15 g) maintained on a high-cholesterol diet. DMEO was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The DMEO yield was 3.5%, and GC/MS analysis revealed that its major constituents were gamma-elemene (18.59%), tetramethyltricyclo hydrocarbons (10.82%), beta-zingiberene (10.52%), and beta-selinene (10.41%). Rats were orally administered DMEO at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg kg(-1) d(-1) for 2 weeks. DMEO significantly and dose-dependently reduced the total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and significantly increased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. We conclude that D. morbifera has significant lipid-lowering effects and is a promising agent that should be considered in studies seeking new, safe, and effective natural cardioprotective agents.