Effect of Echinacea as Antioxidant on Markers of Aging

Aging is a multifactorial process that leads to loss of function and the inability to adequately respond to external stress. There has been a global trend toward the use of natural phytochemicals present in natural sources as antioxidants and functional foods. The herb, Echinacea, is one of the most popular herbal medicines and has become one of the top-selling herbs of all time with billions of dollars in worldwide sales annually. This study was aimed to examine the effect of ethanolic and water extracts of Echinacea purpurea roots as natural sources of antioxidants on markers of aging in rats. A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley female rats were obtained. 6 rats weighing 100 to 115 g considered as control young and the rest of rats weighing 260 to 275 g considered as aged rats. The rats were divided into 4 groups, each group contained 6 rats. The first and second groups fed on basal diet and considered as control young and control aged rats, respectively, while the other two groups administered ehtanolic and water extracts of Echinacea purpurea roots at doses of 6 mg for each rat once daily. Blood samples were taken from each rat and tested for markers of aging, e.g., the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-s-transferase (GST), liver functions, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL and triglycerides levels. Blood hemoglobin and hematocrit counts were also measured. Aging resulted in a significant deterioration in all tested markers of aging including SOD, GST, total protein, albumin, globulin, HDL-cholesterol, hemoglobin concentration, white blood cells concentration and platelets count. Also, a significant increase in AST, ALT, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL levels was observed during aging. Administring aged rats with Echinacea ethanolic and water extracts caused a significant improvement in the above mentioned markers and returned the abnormal markers back to the normal levels found in control young rats. So, it could be recommended that Echinacea extracts could be used to enhance the abnormal changes in health state of aging populations and return them to nearly the normal state found in yonger populations by using a natural source of antioxidants like E. purpurea roots.