AMELIORATIVE EFFECT OF GARLIC ON CHOLESTEROL INDUCED MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR WALL OF ADULT WISTAR RATS

Abstract

This study is designed to investigate the effect of cholesterol and cholesterol in the
presence of aqueous extract of garlic on the cardiovascular wall of adult Wistar rats.
A total of twenty Wistar rats (both sex) weighing 200-275 grams were used in the
study. The rats were randomly assigned into four groups of five rats per group.
Group A served as the control while Group B, C and D served as the treatment
groups. Group A received no treatment, Group B was fed a high cholesterol diet,
Group C received garlic treatment and Group D was fed a high cholesterol diet and
also received garlic treatment. The Aqueous garlic extract was administered at a
dose of 250mg /kg / body weight via orogastric tube for a period of 30 days (4
weeks). The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method on the 31st day of the
experiment. Blood sample was collected by cardiac puncture for cholesterol analysis.
The heart and blood vessel was carefully harvested and fixed in 10% formal saline
for histological studies using haematoxylin and eosin procedures. The Findings
indicated that high cholesterol fed rats when compare with the control showed that
there was a significant increase in cholesterol level (P > 0.05) and also there was
no significant difference in the cholesterol level (P > 0.05) in garlic treated rats fed
with high cholesterol diet. The rats fed a high cholesterol diet showed a significant
damage to the intima of blood vessel of the heart and other blood vessels as well as
consequent myocardial injury. However with injection of garlic there was a protective
response by reduction in blood cholesterol and activation of the local immune
system. This led to minimal injury to both the heart and blood vessels. It is
recommended that garlic may be beneficial to reduce damage of cholesterol to the
cardiovascular and induce local protective immune response.