Abstract
Cassia fistula (C. fistula) has shown strong anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antitussive, antibacterial, and antifungal properties and is being used for healing wounds and gastrointestinal illness. This study was planned to obtain fruit extract from C. fistula using ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) technique and evaluated for phytochemical contents, anti-hyperlipidemia, and hematological parameters. The results showed that total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoids (TFC), condensed tannin (CT), and saponins were 13.07 mg GAE/g, 5.24 mg QE/g, 4.01 mg/g, and 27.55%, respectively, in the extract. Proximate composition of the extract showed 2.48%, moisture, 1.25% fat, 2.80% ash, 4.59% fiber, 11.93% protein, and 76.95% NFE. The 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) activity was 63.30 μg/mL and 15.02 nmol/g, respectively. High-fat diet (HFD)-induced hyperlipidemic rats were orally administrated with 0.5 and 1.0 g of extract/kg body weight (bw) daily. The reduction of total cholesterol (TC: 90.83 ± 8.86 mg/dL), triglycerides (TG; 74.16 ± 9.10 mg/dL), and low-density lipoproteins (LDL; 74.83 ± 4.66 mg/dL) and increase of high-density lipoproteins (HDL; 41.83 ± 8.4 mg/dL) was observed. Significant changes in red blood cells (RBCs; 8.03 ± 0.6710(6)/μL), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC; 35.02 ± 1.78 g/dL), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH; 18.00 ± 0.26 pg), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV; 55.36 ± 4.01 fL) at 1.0 g extract intake was observed. Extract administration also improved significantly liver enzymes, body weight, and liver morphology. Therefore, C. fistula extract can be effectively used as a therapeutic agent to improve serum biochemistry and hematological values.