An ezetimibe-policosanol combination has the potential to be an OTC agent that could dramatically lower LDL cholesterol without side effects

Oral supplementation of policosanol alleviates carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in rats

Liver fibrosis is a prevalent liver disease that requires rapid and effective treatment prior to its progression to cirrhosis and liver damage. Recently, several reports have investigated the efficacy of phytotherapy using natural herbal extracts rather than synthetic drugs to treat several liver diseases. Policosanol is a herbal extract used to treat patients with cardiovascular. However, its therapeutic effect on liver fibrosis is still unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the potential antifibrotic effect of policosanol compared to silymarin and the possible underlying molecular mechanisms. Rats were categorized into four groups; negative control group "NCG", the fibrotic group "FG", silymarin treated group "STG", and policosanol treated group "PTG". Serum liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers, angiogenic growth factors, and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured biochemically. The relative mRNA expressions of liver caspase-3 and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were assessed. Immunohistochemical staining was carried out using anti- α-SMA, and anti-caspase-3 antibodies. Compared to NCG, the FG group demonstrated a significant decrease in the level of serum liver enzymes "GSH, TAC, and SDF. Nevertheless, it demonstrateda significant increase in the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines "Il-6, TNF"; oxidative stress markers "NO, MDA", and angiogenic growth factors "VEGF and PDGF" and the expression of α-SMA, and Caspase-3. Interestingly, the values of these measurements were restored to normal levels in the treated groups, particularly the PTG. In conclusion, our data revealed the beneficial effects of co-administration of policosanol or silymarin on the fibrotic liver rat model and thus could be a promising natural therapeutic drug.

Therapeutic potential of policosanol in the concurrent management of dyslipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background

High-fat diet (HFD) possesses a major cause of cardiovascular disease, and hepatosteatosis. Unfortunately, long-term use of statins has a theoretical possibility of worsening of hepatic histology in the patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The objective of the study was to explore hepatoprotective potential of policosanol as an alternative to statins in experimental NAFLD. For the same, young male Wistar rats were fed with HFD for 8 weeks to induce NAFLD. 48 adult Wistar rats were distributed into six investigational groups: normal control, HFD control, and four treatment groups, receiving policosanol (50 and 100 mg/kg/day), atorvastatin (30 mg/kg/day), and silymarin (100 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks along with HFD.

Result

HFD consumption caused profound hepatotoxicity evident by hepatic oxidative stress, increased Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and bilirubin content. Treatment with policosanol (100 mg/kg) markedly reduced the elevated SGOT, SGPT, and ALP levels in HFD-fed rats. Moreover, policosanol significantly reduced hepatic oxidative stress manifest by reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased glutathione (GSH) level. The treatment with policosanol (100 mg/kg) was found to be more active in attenuating the HFD-induced hepatotoxicity as compared to policosanol (50 mg/kg) and atorvastatin (30 mg/kg). Moreover, we observed that the hepatoprotective potential of policosanol was comparable to the silymarin.

Conclusions

The results of the study clearly indicated that the policosanol could be considered an intriguing approach for the treatment of NAFLD.

Policosanol attenuates statin-induced increases in serum proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 when combined with atorvastatin

Objective. Statin treatment alone has been demonstrated to significantly increase plasma proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) levels. The effect of policosanol combined with statin on PCSK9 is unknown. Methods. Protocol I: 26 patients with atherosclerosis were randomly assigned to receive either atorvastatin 20 mg/d or policosanol 20 mg/d + atorvastatin 20 mg/d for 8 weeks. Protocol II: 15 healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to either policosanol 20 mg/d or a control group for 12 weeks. Serum levels of PCSK9 were determined at day 0 and the end of each protocol. Results. Protocol I: atorvastatin 20 mg/d significantly increased serum PCSK9 level by 39.4% (256 ± 84 ng/mL versus 357 ± 101 ng/mL, P = 0.002). However, policosanol 20 mg/d + atorvastatin 20 mg/d increased serum PCSK9 level by only 17.4% without statistical significance (264 ± 60 ng/mL versus 310 ± 86 ng/mL, P = 0.184). Protocol II: there was a trend toward decreasing serum PCSK9 levels in the policosanol group (289 ± 71 ng/mL versus 235 ± 46 ng/mL, P = 0.069). Conclusion. Policosanol combined with statin attenuated the statin-induced increase in serum PCSK9 levels. This finding indicates that policosanol might have a modest effect of lowering serum PCSK9 levels.