Coumarin and derivates as lipid lowering agents.

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the developed countries. Dyslipidaemia is one of the risk factors associated to cardiovascular disease and it is characterised by abnormal amounts of lipids (i.e. cholesterol and fatty acids) and/or circulating lipoproteins in blood. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various illnesses including cardiovascular disease. In this way, the potential therapeutic or preventive effects of antioxidant mediators have recently drawn much attention. Coumarin (1,2-benzopyrone) is a natural phenolic compound found in many plants such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, vegetables and green tea. Coumarin and derivates are proposed as lipid lowering agents due to its broad pharmacological activities, mainly implicated in vasodilator and antioxidant effect. Several studies have evidenced a promising role of coumarin and several of its derivates as lipid lowering agents. In the current work, the available reports related to the promising function of these compounds are reviewed.