Effect of argan oil (Argania spinosa) on hypercholesterolemic male rats

Hypercholesterolemia is a metabolic condition that related to the occurrence of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. This research aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of argan oil in improving hypercholesterolemia in male rats. Forty male rats were randomly distributed into five groups (8 rats in each group); control; rats fed on normal rodent diet. The four remaining groups; rats were fed on a high-fat diet (HFD) for eight weeks to produce hypercholesterolemia. Then, the hypercholesterolemic rats were classified as follows: HFD, HFD + argan oil (5 ml/kg), HFD + statin (40 mg/kg), as a reference drug, and HED + argan oil + statin. After 4 weeks, blood samples were taken for biochemical examination. A liver histological analysis was also carried out. The results showed that treatment of hypercholesterolemic rats with argan oil, statin and their mixture significantly improved biological evaluation, reduced the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C), and atherogenic index (AI), concurrent with a significant increase in the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL-C) versus HFD group. Furthermore, there was a significant decline in liver enzymes level and a significant decrease in oxidative stress; malondialdehyde (MDA) level versus HFD group. The group which were fed on HFD resulted in accumulation of lipid droplets of various size in liver tissue compared to control group. Argan oil administration showed protection against lipid deposition similar to statin medication. Better protection result was observed in the group which received a mixture of statin and argan oil.