Antioxidant properties of medicinal plants as potential antiatherosclerotic remedies: in vitro and ex vivo studies

Oxidative and glycoxidative stress are postulated to be the primary events in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its vascular implications. Further, LDL oxidation in the vessel wall plays a key role in atherogenesis, also related to damage from oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the risk for development of atherosclerosis is by approximately three-fold increased in patients with diabetes. The medicinal plants are widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. The genus Casimiroa (Rutaceae) includes few species which have their habitat in Central America and Mexico; among these, the most common are Casimiroa edulis Llave et lex. and Casimiroa pubescens Ramirez. The decoction of leaves and seeds are traditionally used for treating hypertension. The sap of Croton lechleri (Euphorbiaceae), a South American tree, is used topically in the treatment of wound healing and orally, in a dilute form, mainly for gastric ulcers and intestinal diseases. The gum resin of Boswellia serrata (Burseraceae), which grows in dry mountainous regions of India, Northern Africa and Middle East, has been traditionally used to treat various chronic inflammatory diseases. Ribes nigrum (Grossulariaceae), a species native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia, is a traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory disorders such as rheumatic diseases. The aim of this research was to investigate the antioxidant activity of these medicinal plants by means of several experimental methods in vitro and ex vivo to outline their role in the prevention and/or treatment of cardiovascular diseases related to oxidative stress.