The effect of Centella asiatica ethanolic extract on heart interleukin-10 levels of aged Sprague-Dawley rats

The rising trend of average life expectancy increased the number of elderly populations. Aging could increase the risk of age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, through chronic inflammatory process. To inhibit aging, the consumption of herbal plants with anti-inflammatory activity such as Centella asiatica (CA) is preferred. This preliminary study aims to elucidate the effect of CA on heart interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels of aged Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Subjects were male SD rats, with aged rats divided into three groups: negative control (placebo), treatment (CA ethanolic extract of 300 mg/kg of body weight), and positive control (6 IU vitamin E); while young rats assigned to comparison control. After 28 days of treatment, all rats were terminated before the concentration of heart IL-10 was measured by ELISA. The obtained data were then analyzed using the Saphiro-Wilk test and one-way ANOVA test. Our result shows CA administration increased heart IL-10 concentration (16.33 ± 2.71 pg/mg in treatment group vs 10.81 ± 0.75 pg/mg in negative control), albeit statistically insignificant. In conclusion, CA ethanolic extract of 300 mg/kg of body weight for 28 days does not affect heart IL-10 levels in aged SD rats.