The ethanolic extract of holy basil leaves (Ocimum sanctum L.) attenuates atherosclerosis in high fat diet fed rabbit

Atherosclerosis is the etiology of coronary heart disease (CHD) that contributes to the highest mortality rate of non-communicable disease groups in Indonesia. The early stage of this process is marked by the presence of fatty streaks lesion in the artery wall. This study aimed to investigate the effect of holy basil leaves (Ocimum sanctum L.) extract (HBE) to suppress the formation of fatty streak. 25 adult male New Zealand rabbits age 4-month weight 2500-3000g were used as the sample and divided into five groups. The treatment group were fed with a high fat diet (HFD) and 10; 25; 50 mg/kgBW/day HBE respectively. The fatty streak was measured in aorta wall after 45 days treatment by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining, and the size was assessed using ImageJ software. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the fatty streak area between each group (P>0.05). There was a trend of decreasing fatty streak area dose dependent manner (negative control 5802.21+3690.41 μm2, P1 5154.69+3990.79 μm2, P2 4938.31+3690.18 μm2, and P3 3611.68+4092.96 μm2) even though it was not statistically significant (P>0.05). This paper conclude that holy basic leaves extract may exert anti-atherosclerosis inhibition through attenuation of fatty streak formation