Biological potential and chemical profile of european varieties of ilex

Abstract

Plants of the genus Ilex are widespread throughout the world, with its best-known repre-sentative being Ilex paraguraiensis from South America. The European species Ilex aquifolium shows similarities in its terpenoid, sugar and phenolic acid profiles. Using aqueous extracts of Ilex aquifo-lium as a supplement in Wistar rats showed that, despite the lack of caffeine, it had strong hypocho-lesterolemic effects. In addition, a reduction in oxidative lipid degradation and a decrease in hepatic steatosis in histopathological studies were observed. The results of this study suggest that extracts from the European species Ilex aquifolium may have potential as an alternative treatment for hyper-lipidemia.