Eupatilin Alleviates Hyperlipidemia in Mice by Inhibiting HMG-CoA Reductase

Artemisia princeps (family Asteraceae) is a natural product broadly used as an antioxidative, hepatoprotective, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory agent in East Asia. In the present study, eupatilin, the main constituent of Artemisia princeps, was investigated as an antihyperlipidemic agent. Eupatilin inhibited 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase (HCR), an enzyme that is a therapeutic target for hyperlipidemia, in an ex vivo assay using rat liver. In addition, oral administration of eupatilin significantly lowered the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) in corn oil-induced and Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemic mice. These results suggest that eupatilin can alleviate hyperlipidemia by inhibiting HCR.