Date of Award

12-22-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MPhil in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

First Advisor

Dr Fazal Arain

Second Advisor

Dr Muhammad Wasim

Third Advisor

Dr Hasan Salman Siddiqi

Department

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including hypertension and dyslipidemia, are leading causes of mortality worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Pakistan, where limited resources and weak healthcare infrastructure hinder effective management. Conventional pharmacotherapies for these conditions are often associated with side effects, high costs, and poor adherence, motivating a growing interest in alternative treatments. Traditional medicine, specifically herbal remedies, offers potential solutions due to their accessibility, cultural relevance, and lower risk profiles. Pimpinella anisum (aniseed) and Carum carvi (caraway) are two commonly used herbs in South Asia with promising cardiovascular benefits. However, despite their widespread use, limited scientific evidence exists to substantiate these claims.
Aims and objectives: This study aims to explore the therapeutic potential of aniseed and caraway, either alone or in combination, to address hypertension and dyslipidemia. The primary objectives of this research were to evaluate the blood pressure-lowering and lipid-modulating effects of aniseed and caraway extracts, to investigate their underlying pharmacological mechanisms, and to assess the potential synergistic benefits of combining these two herbs.
Methodology: In this study, we conducted a range of ex vivo and in vivo experiments. Ex- vivo experiments included isolated rat aortic tissues and guinea pig atria which were immersed in Kerb’s physiological solution in isolated tissue baths and connected to a system of transducers coupled with PowerLab data acquisition system 4/25 (ADI Instruments, Australia). Labchart software (ADI Instruments, Australia) exhibited the vascular relaxation responses of aortic tissues and inotropic/chronotropic effects of atrial tissues on computer monitor. This allowed for mechanistic exploration of calcium channel blocking, potassium channel opening effects and nitric oxide pathways. High Fat Diet rat model was used to assess the lipid-modulating effects of aniseed and caraway extracts by randomly dividing the rats into control and intervention groups. viii The study continued for seven weeks at the end of which serum lipid levels and aortic endothelial nitric oxide concentrations were assessed. Vascular relaxation responses to acetyl choline were determined in aortae extracted from HFD study to assess endothelial integrity. All data were stated as: “means ± standard error of mean (SEM, n = number of experiments)” and the median effective concentration (EC50) values were calculated as: “the geometric mean with 95 % confidence intervals (CI)”. Appropriate statistical parameters were applied for analysis of results. All the graphing, calculations and analyses of statistical nature were executed using the software known as: “GraphPad Prism version 4.00 for Windows, (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA, http://www.graphpad.com)”.
Results: Our findings demonstrate that both aniseed and caraway extracts exhibit vasodilator and cardio suppressant effects and improve lipid profiles. The underlying mechanism of vasodilation was mainly by calcium channel blocking activity in case of aniseed while caraway mediated its vasodilatory effect through multiple mechanisms including calcium channel blocking activity, potassium channel opening effect and involvement of nitric oxide pathway. The combined extract showed results similar to those produced by caraway and no synergist effect was observed by combing the two extracts. On the contrary, synergism was noted when the combination of the two extracts was given to rats of HFD model while each extract also showed its own pattern of serum lipid modulation. The groups of rats treated with caraway and the combination of the two extracts exhibited some additional benefits including percent decrease in weight, increased nitric oxide concentrations in aortic tissues and increased vascular relaxation responses to acetyl choline indicating restoration of endothelium.
Conclusion: These data suggest that aniseed and caraway possess a combination of vasodilator, cardio suppressant and anti-dyslipidemic effects which are responsible for cardio protectivity and are mediated through multiple mechanisms. Thus, this study bridges the gap between traditional and modern medicine, providing a foundation based on pharmacological principles that warrants the development of these extracts as potential therapeutic agents. Further investigations including pharmacokinetic and safety studies may pave the way to a clinical trial for translating these findings for human healthcare

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