EVALUATION OF INDUCED HYPERLIPIDEMIA IN RATS BY DEXAMETHASONE AND COCONUT OIL

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases are an increasingly worldwidely relevant death cause, and dyslipidemia constitute a crucial risk factor to their development. Once dyslipidemia cannot be directly monitored by the patient, its complications evolve insidiously. Thus, the therapeutical management of this condition includes, besides dietary changes, the prevention of the long term cardiovascular complications that may appear as a result of persistent hyperlipidemia. Hence, this study aimed to standardize a model of hyperlipidemia in rats in order to test furtherly the effect of medicines used to reduce lipid levels. Male Wistar rats were given dexamethasone (Dex) intraperitoneally (i.p.) for 30 days or with coconut oil per os (p.o.) for 14 days and the total cholesterol levels and its fractions were doses in the animals’ serum. Coconut oil administration promoted significant hyper triglyceridemia, but no significant hypercholesterolemia was observed. A similar trend was noted after chronic administration of Dex, but, besides this hyperlipemiant effect, the prolonged exposition to Dex was also associated with hair and weight loss, apathy and death of some rats. Animals that were given Dex and also coconut oil showed even higher mortality rates. Thus, the treatment with coconut oil was standardized to further evaluate the effect of new pharmaceutical formulations containing fibrates, the class of hipolipemiant drugs that are more effective in lowering triglyceride levels.