IN VIVO STUDY OF THE POTENTIAL OF BELUNTAS LEAF (Pluchea indica) LOLOH AS AN ANTIHYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA

Abstrak

Introduction: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) are the leading cause of death in Indonesia. One of the most prevalent NCDs is hypercholesterolemia. The most commonly used drug class is statins, which work by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase; however, they carry side effects including myalgia, diabetes mellitus, and rhabdomyolysis. Traditional herbal medicine represents a potential alternative. According to the lontar usadha duwe griya, loloh of beluntas leaves is a traditional remedy used to treat conditions related to blood pressure disorders. This is supported by the phytochemical content of beluntas leaves, including flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenols, all of which have antihypercholesterolemic effects. Methods: This study used a true experimental design with a post-test only controlled group design involving 30 male Wistar rats divided into three groups: Group K (aquadest 5 ml/day/rat), Group KS (simvastatin 0.36 mg/day/rat), and Group P1 (loloh of beluntas leaves 4.5 g/day/rat). Data were analyzed using One-Way ANOVA. Results: One-Way ANOVA results for all variables showed p > 0.05, indicating no statistically significant difference. However, the findings may be clinically meaningful. Conclusion: Loloh of beluntas leaves (Pluchea indica) was not statistically significant but demonstrated potential clinical significance, except for the triglyceride variable.