Hypolipidaemic and antioxidant properties of ethanol extract from Flos populi

This study was undertaken to evaluate antihyperlipidaemic and in vitro antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Flos populi (EFP). The results demonstrated that EFP contains 78.5% flavonoids and 10.4% phenolics, and it exhibited free radical-scavenging activity on 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (IC50 36.40 ± 0.62 μg/mL) and high reducing power (EC50 206.32 ± 1.6l μg/mL) under in vitro chemical assays. And irrespective of prophylactic administration or remedial administration, in high fat diet-induced hyperlipidaemic mice, oral treatment with EFP produced a decrease in the levels of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and increase in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. In a word, in high fat diet-fed hyperlipidaemic mice, EFP (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) significantly altered the plasma lipid levels to near normal. These results support a potential effect of EFP in cardiovascular disease.