The Impact of Levofem on the Lipid Profile in Albino Female Rats

Abstract

Oral contraceptives are often used for contraception and hormone regulation. The synthetic oestrogen and progestin in oral contraceptives may affect lipid metabolism and body weight. The present investigation was carried out to examine the short term effect of Levofem an oral contraceptive on serum lipid profile markers and body weight in female Wistar albino rats.Twelve mature female Wistar albino rats were divided randomly into 3 groups of 4 rats each. The control group received distilled water, the low-dose group received 0.2 mL of Levofem, and the high-dose group received 0.8 mL of Levofem, orally, once daily for seven consecutive days. Body weights were recorded before and after therapy. At the end of the study period, blood samples were taken and serum lipid parameters including total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were estimated by standard enzymatic colorimetric methods.No significant differences in HDL-C concentrations were observed between the groups (control: 31.25 ± 2.22 mg/dL, low dose: 29.00 ± 1.29 mg/dL, high dose: 31.50 ± 1.94 mg/dL; p = 0.173). Conversely, LDL-C levels differed considerably between groups and increased dose-dependently (control: 54.45 ± 2.60 mg/dL, low dose: 68.55 ± 5.09 mg/dL, high dose: 72.18 ± 8.64 mg/dL, p = 0.001). In addition, the treated groups had higher levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides, which increased with the dose, but these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) compared with the control group. Body-weight changes were different in the groups, with a higher weight gain in the control and low-dose groups, and a somewhat lower weight gain in the high-dose group. Short-term oral treatment of Levofem resulted in a considerable increase in blood LDL-C concentrations without significant alteration in HDL-C levels. Dose-related increases in total cholesterol and triglycerides were not statistically significant but may be suggestive of early alterations in lipid metabolism. The reduced weight gain at the higher dose may be a sign of a negative metabolic response to greater hormonal exposure. Additional research with larger sample numbers and longer treatment periods are needed to clarify the durability and biological significance of these effects.