Amla (or Amlaka, Amlaki, or other variants) is one of the most frequently used of the Ayurvedic herbs; it is the fruit of Phyllanthus emblica, also called Emblica officinalis. The fruit is similar in appearance to the common gooseberry (Ribes spp., a type of currant), which is botanically unrelated to amla. However, due to the similar appearance of the fruit clusters, amla is usually called the “Indian gooseberry.” The plant, a member of the Euphorbiaceae, grows to become a medium-sized tree that is found growing in the plains and sub-mountain regions all over the Indian subcontinent from 200 to nearly 2000 meters above sea level. Indian gooseberry is a wonder herbs and one of the precious gifts of nature to man. It contributes towards health and longevity.
Emblica officinalis (EO) enjoys a hallowed position in Ayurveda—an Indian indigenous system of medicine. According to ancient Indian mythology, it is the first tree to be created in the universe. Emblica officinalis fruit is one of the key constituents of the celebrated Ayurvedic preparation, Chyavanaprash, used in India for thousands of years as a vitalizing and rejuvenating health tonic. According to Ayurveda, amla balances all three doshas. While amla is unusual in that it contains five out of the six tastes recognized by Ayurved, it is most important to recognize the effects of the “virya”, or potency, and “vipaka”, or post-digestive effect. The fruits of EO are widely used in the Ayurveda and are believed to increase defense against diseases. I
Coronary heart disease (CHD) continues to be the major cause of premature death in most developed and developing countries. A low level of HDL cholesterol is the second most important risk factor for CHD, as demonstrated in numerous clinical and epidemiological studies (Gorden, D. and Rifkind, H. M., N. Engl. J. Med., 1989, 321:1311-1315; Brewer, Jr., H. B., New Engl. J. Med, 2004, 350:1491-94) and HDL has emerged, during the past decade, as a new potential target for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The key role of HDL as a carrier of excess cellular cholesterol in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway is believed to provide protection against atherosclerosis. In reverse cholesterol transport, peripheral tissues, for example, vessel-wall macrophages, remove their excess cholesterol through the ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) to poorly lipidated apolipoprotein A-1, forming pre-.beta.-HDL. Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase then esterifies free cholesterol to cholesteryl esters, converting pre-β-HDL to mature spherical α-HDL.
HDL cholesterol is transported to the liver by two pathways: 1) it is delivered directly to the liver through interaction with the scavenger receptor, class B, type I(SR-BI); 2) cholesteryl esters in HDL are transferred by the cholesterol ester transferase protein (CETP) to very-low-density-lipoproteins (VLDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and are then returned to the liver through the LDL receptor. HDL cholesterol that is taken up by the liver is then excreted in the form of bile acids and cholesterol, completing the process of reverse cholesterol transport (Brewer, H. B. Jr., Arterioscl. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., 2004, 24:387-91). HDL is believed to have the ability to remove cholesterol from macrophages, thus preventing the formation of foam cells.
A second beneficial role of HDL in atherosclerosis is in protecting LDL from oxidation (Navab, M. et al, Circulation, 2002, 105:290-92). Unlike normal LDL, oxidized LDL is readily taken up by macrophage scavenger receptor SR-A or CD36 resulting in the formation of foam cells. Foam cells are a major component of the early atherosclerotic lesion. Further, HDL may slow the progression of lesions by selectively decreasing the production of endothelial cell-adhesion molecules that facilitate the uptake of cells into the vessel wall (Barter, P. J., et al, Curr. Opin. Lipid, 2002, 13:285-88). HDL may also prolong the half-life of prostacycline and preserve its vasodilatory effect (Mackness, M. I. et al, Atherosclerosis, 1993, 104:129-35).
Several lines of evidence support the concept that increasing the HDL level may provide protection against the development of atherosclerosis. Epidemiologic studies have shown an inverse relation between HDL cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Increasing the HDL cholesterol level by 1 mg may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 2 to 3 percent. Over expressing the apo-A-1 gene in transgenic mice and rabbits and infusing complexes consisting of Apo A-1 and phospholipids into hyperlipidemic rabbits increase HDL cholesterol levels and decrease the development of atherosclerosis (Brewer, H B, Jr., loc. cit). In humans, infusing either of these complexes or pro-apo-A-1 results in short term increase in HDL cholesterol, biliary cholesterol and fecal cholesterol loss, reinforcing the concept that elevating the HDL cholesterol level decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
More than 40 percent of patients with myocardial infarction have low HDL-C as a cardiac risk factor. (Genest, J. J., et al, Am. J. Cardiol., 1991, 67:1185-89). In the prospective and multicentric European Concerted Action on Thrombosis and Disabilities (ECAT) Angina Pectoris Study, Bolibar et al (Thromb. Haemost., 2000, 84:955-61) identified low HDL-C and low apo A-I as the most important biochemical risk factors for coronary events in patients with angiographically assessed CHD. By convention, the risk threshold value of HDL-C has been defined as 35 mg/dL (0.9 mmol/L) in men and 45 mg/dL (1.15 mmol/L) in women [Expert panel on detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults. The second report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) expert panel on detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (Adult Treatment Panel II). Circulation. 1994; 89:1329-1445)]. Because of interaction, the strength of the association between HDL-C and cardiovascular risk depends on the presence of additional risk factors. Therefore, threshold values are higher in men with diabetes mellitus or hypercholesterolemia or in the presence of multiple risk factors (von Eckardstein A, and Assmann G. Curr Opin Lipidol. 2000; 11:627-637). Low HDL-C has been identified as the most frequent familial dyslipoproteinemia in patients with premature myocardial infarction (Genest, J. J. Jr., Circulation. 1992; 85:2025-2033). Finally, in the Helsinki Heart Study (Manninen, V. et al, Circulation. 1992; 85:37-45) and the High-Density-Lipoprotein Cholesterol Intervention Trial of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA-HIT) study (Rubins, H. B. et al, N Engl J Med. 1999; 341:410-418), increases of HDL-C on treatment with gemfibrozil were correlated with the prevention of CHD events. Thus, HDL-C has become an important component of algorithms to assess the global cardiovascular risk of patients and also a target for therapeutic intervention and for the definition of treatment goals.
Strategies to correct dyslipidemia in atherosclerosis generally involve diet and/or drugs. The threshold serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations above which diet and drug therapy should be initiated, as well as the goals of therapy, have been defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (JAMA, 1993, 269:3015-23). The target serum LDL-C is <160 mg/dl (4.3 mmol/1) for patients with no risk factors or only one risk factor for CHD; <130 mg/dl (3.4 mmol/l) for patients with 2 or more risk factors and less than 100 mg/dl (2.6 mmol/l) for those with CHD. Persons with diabetes also fall into the third category. A reasonable target for triglyceride concentration is 200 mg/dl or less; higher values are associated with a doubling of the risk of cardiovascular disease when serum cholesterol concentration exceeds 240 mg/dl or when the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio exceeds 5:1.
A number of studies have shown that reducing scrum LDL-C below the target levels does not necessarily result in proportional reduction in the risk of CHD [(The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study Group. Randomized trial of cholesterol lowering in 4444 patients with coronary heart disease, Lancet, 1994, 344:1383-89; Shepherd, J. et al, N. Engl. J. Mod., 1995, 333:1301-7; Sachs, F. M. et al, N. Engl. J. Med., 1998, 315:1001-9; Circulation, 1998, 97:1446-52; The West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study Group, Circulation, 1998, 97:1440-45; Pederson, T. R., Circulation, 1998, 97:1453-60] because of the attenuation of the cholesterol-heart disease relation at lower serum cholesterol concentrations (Grundy, S. M., Circulation, 1998, 97:1436-39).
Dietary treatment of hyperlipidemia is a necessary foundation for drug treatment. Depending on the degree of hyperlipidemia, the Step I and Step II diets can be introduced sequentially. The Step II diet contains no more than 30% of calories from fat, less than 7% of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. In long term studies, the Step II diet decreased serum LDL-C concentrations 8-15% (Knopp, R. H., et al, JAMA, 1997, 278:1509-15; Walden, C. E., Arterioscl. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., 1997, 17:375-82; Denke, M. A., Arch. Intern. Med., 1995, 156:17-26). Diets more restricted in fat than the Step II diet result in little additional reduction in LDL-C, raise serum TG concentration and lower HDL-C.
The point to note, from the above, is that reducing LDL-C alone is of little value in reducing the risk of CHD. Further, diets meant for reducing LDL-C may reduce HDL-C to a similar degree (Hunninghake, D. B. et al, N. Engl. J. Mod., 1993, 328:1213-19; Schafer, E. J., et al, Arterioscl. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., 1995, 15:1079-85); Stefanick, M. L., N. Engl. J Med, 1998, 339:12-20).
Drug therapy is resorted to when the desired effects are not achieved with diets alone. Statins are the most popular among the lipid lowering drugs. These drugs lower serum LDL-C concentrations by upregulating LDL-receptor activity as well as reducing the entry of LDL into the circulation. The maximal reductions achieved with a statin ranges from 24-60%. Statins also reduce the serum TG levels; but they are often insufficient. Statins are ineffective in the treatment of patients with chylomicronemia. Adverse effects of statins include, gastrointestinal upset, muscle aches and hepatitis. Rarer problems include myopathy (muscle pain with serum creatine kinase concentrations more than 1,000 U per liter), rashes, peripheral neuropathy, insomnia, bad or vivid dreams and difficulty in sleeping or concentrating (Abramowica, M., Med Lett., 1996, 38:67-70; Vgontzas, A. N. et al, Clin. Pharmacol. Ther., 1991, 50:730-37; Roth, T. et al, Clin. Cardiol., 1992, 15:426-32; Partinen, M. et al, Am. J. Cardiol., 1994, 73:876-80). Other lipid-lowering drugs include bile acid-binding resins (e.g, cholesteramine and colestipol), nicotinic acid, and fibrates.
Drug therapy is not recommended for premenopausal women and men under 35 years of age unless they have serum LDL-C concentrations of more than 220 mg/dl (5.7 mmol/l), because their immediate risk of heart disease is low [Summary of the second report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP): expert panel on detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults, JAMA, 1993, 269:3015-23].
Thus, diets alone or in conjunction with lipid lowering drugs fail to yield the desired goal of safe lipid lowering. However, this goal is achievable with the present inventive composition containing the active principles of seed of Emblica officinalis. Emblica has been in safe use in India for thousands of years as component of Ayurvedic preparations. The composition from seed of Emblica officinalis offers the twin benefits of reducing the harmful LDL cholesterol and enhancing the desirable HDL cholesterol.
A number of studies have shown that Emblica officinalis is useful for reducing total cholesterol, reducing triglyceride, reducing LDL cholesterol and enhancing HDL cholesterol.
Ritu Mathur et al show the hypolipidaemic effect of fruit juice of Emblica officinalis in cholesterol fed rabbits. The juice is obtained from deseeded Emblica officinalis. U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,268, Ghosal discloses a natural antioxidant composition from Emblica officinalis using pericarp of fresh berries (Emblica officinalis). Biswas Gopa et al show the hypolipidemic efficacy of Amla (Emblica officinalis). The Amla used is dried Amla fruit juice powder. Muhammed et al evaluated the anti-hyperglycemic and lipid-lowering properties of Emblica officinalis powder in normal and diabetic human volunteers. Zhang et al discloses the phenolic constituents of Emblica officinalis juice. Chatterjee et al discloses a novel compounds with hypocholesteremic activity from crude Emblica officinalis (EO) fruit extracts. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,780,996, 8,158,167 and 8,455,020 discloses the method of reducing cholesterol, method of treating dyslipidemia and method of reducing triglyceride by extract of Emblica officinalis. 
Amla is a fruit with wide range of medicinal properties. Our effort was to find the most bioactive molecule/(s) or purified fraction having bioactivity from Amla fruit. The fleshy part (pericarp) of Amla fruit is used for human consumption whereas Amla seeds are not edible and discarded. We evaluated different Amla extracts. Extracts prepared from fresh fruit of Amla; fruit juice of whole Amla including the fleshy part and seeds of Amla; juice of fleshy part (pericarp); dried fruit; flesh of Amla fruit without seed; or Amla seed alone were evaluated for anti hyperlipidemic activity. The methanol extract of all groups showed beneficial activity, but the most unexpected and superior result was obtained from the Amla seed alone extract. Amla seed alone extract was able to significantly reduce the total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL cholesterol and enhance the HDL cholesterol levels. Though Amla seed is not known to have any history of human consumption, we followed the lead with various extracts of Amla seed and found that the ethyl acetate portion of Amla seed extract is the most active. The ethyl acetate part was showing far superior activity compared to other extracts with Amla seed and also against other extracts of Amla.
In view of the above, the disclosure provides a composition and method of preparing an extract from the seed of Emblica officinalis unlike other references where the extract is prepared from Emblica officinalis, especially from its fruits which found its application for the treatment of reducing bad cholesterol, dyslipidemia and for reducing triglyceride. The disclosure provides a method of preparation of an extract of Emblica officinalis from the seed of Emblica officinalis and composition derived contain polyphenolic components and lipophilic components. The extract prepared from the seed of Emblica officinalis is useful for decreasing total cholesterol, decreasing triglyceride, reducing blood glucose level, enhancing HDL-Cholesterol level, increasing the HDL-Cholesterol to total cholesterol ratio, lowering LDL-Cholesterol level, reducing the CRP level, decreasing the intima media thickening, reducing atherogenic index of plasma, increasing Apo A-1 levels, decreasing Apo B levels, decreasing Apo B to Apo A-1 ratio, reducing homocysteine level, reduction in glycosylated Hb, modulating TSH level, decreasing HMGCoA reductase activity, lowering total cholesterol without changing CoQ10 levels even at a lower dosage level. The extract prepared from the seed of Emblica officinalis is useful for reducing hair fall in humans by applying topically or by oral administration.
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