D-Carvone, a Monoterpene Reverses Alterations in Heart Rate, Nitric Oxide, Aortic Lipids and Enzymatic Antioxidant Status in Nitric Oxide Deficient Hypertensive Rats

The present study was aimed to assess the antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive and antioxidant effect of D-carvone, a monoterpene against N^ω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) induced hypertension. Hypertension was prompted in adult male albino rats of the Wistar strain by oral administration of the L-NAME (40 mg/kg body weight) in drinking water for 4 weeks. Rats were treated with D-carvone (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight) for four weeks. L-NAME treated rats exhibited significant increase in water intake, heart rate, aortic lipids level such as triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acids (FFA) and significant decrease in the level of phospholipids (PL), plasma nitric oxide (NO). The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were decreased in erythrocytes of L-NAME induced hypertensive rats. Treatment with D-carvone restored all the above parameters to near normal level. These results suggest that D-carvone acts as an antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive and antioxidant agent against L-NAME induced hypertensive rats.