Kaempferia parviflora is a Zingiberaceae plant that has been used as traditional medicine in Asia. The pharmacological effects have been widely reported such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, anti-obesity and suppression of adipocyte hypertrophy. This study aimed to examine the hypolipidemic effect of methoxyflavone-enriched extract of K. parviflora rhizome (MKE) in cholesterol-induced dyslipidemic rats. To develop the hypercholesteroremic condition, the rats were fed with cholesterol (2 g/kg) twice a day for 6 weeks. Dyslipidemic rats were divided into 6 groups including three control vehicle groups, two doses of MKE treatment groups, and a simvastatin positive control group. Oral administration of MKE at daily doses of 150 or 300 mg/kg for 12 weeks significantly decreased in the levels of cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL. The MKE and simvastatin treated groups significantly increased the levels of HDL. These results suggest that MKE and its active components exhibit hypolipidemic effects in dyslipidemic rats.
