Preventive Potential of the Aqueous Extract of the Mixture of Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) and Cymbopogon citratus (Poaceae) Aerial Parts on Hypertension Induced by a Chronic Salt and Alcohol Consumption on the Rats

Abstract

High blood pressure (HBP) is currently one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Nowadays, populations make extensive use of alternative medicine for their health problems. Bidens pilosa (B. pilosa) and Cymbopogon citratus (C. citratus) are used individually in the traditional treatment of cardiovascular disorders. This study assessed the effects of the mixture of these two plants aqueous extract on HBP in rats. Male rats (42) were divided into 7 groups of 6 rats each. Normotensive rats received only distilled water and formed group 1. The other animals received ethanol + salt preceded by distilled water (10 mL/kg; group 2) and spironolactone (10 mg/kg; group 3); the aqueous extracts of the mixture (100 and 200 mg/kg; groups 4 and 5) isolated plants B. pilosa (200 mg/kg; group 6) and C. citratus (200 mg/kg; group 7). Animals were treated for 7 weeks during which water consumption and urine volume were assessed; then, hemodynamic parameters were recorded, and rats were sacrificed. Serum and some organs (liver, kidney, heart, and aorta) were used to evaluate biochemical parameters. Ingestion of ethanol + salt leads to a significant increase in urinary volume and water intake that were significantly prevented by the extracts from the mixture and isolated plants. Ethanol + salt solution significantly increased the blood pressure, heart rate, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-chol), very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-chol), atherogenic indices, liver and kidney function parameters, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. However, the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-chol), albumin, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were significantly reduced. The extracts of the mixture and isolated plants significantly prevented all these variations with a more pronounced action for the lowest dose of the mixture on the lipid profile, oxidative stress, and kidney function. These observations confirm the beneficial effects of B. pilosa and C. citratus to manage hypertension.