ABSTRACT
Objective:To study the effect of water extract of Solanum mrvum (S.torvum) on blood lipid and sex hormone levels in high-fat diet (HFD) fed male rats.Methods:Male Wistar rats were maintained on a standard diet or HFD for 10 weeks.During the last 4 weeks,the standard diet groups received distilled water or S.torvum (400 mg/kg) and the HFD groups received distilled water or S.torvum (100,200 and 400 mg/kg).Body weight,lipid profiles,sex hormone,internal organs weight and liver histopathology were all measured.Moreover,kidney function was evaluated using blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels,and liver function by the levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase.Results:The result showed that rats in the HFD control group had increased body weight and hyperlipidemia,but had decreased levels of both testosterone and estradiol.When receiving the S.torvum extract at a dose of 100 mg/kg,treated rats had significantly increased sex hormone levels of both types,and decreased total cholesterol levels,and at a dose of 200 mg/kg,treated rats had significantly decreased levels of triglyceride.Long term administration of the S.torvum did not produce any toxic signs in livers and kidneys.Pathological examinations of livers showed lipid accumulation in the HFD group,but the treatment of S.torvum slightly reduced lipid deposition in liver tissue.Conclusions:S.torvum extract can reverse the level of sex hormones to their normal level and reduce serum cholesterol in HFD-induced obese male rats.Furthermore,the long term oral administration of S.torvum extract is harmless.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effect of Rhinacanthus nasutus (R. nasutus) leaf extract on impaired glucose and lipid metabolism in obese ICR mice. Methods: Obesity was induced in the male ICR mice by feeding them a high-fat diet (60 kcal% fat) for 12 weeks. After the first six weeks of the diet, the obese mice were administered with the water extract of R. nasutus leaves at 250 and 500 mg/kg per day for the next six weeks. Subsequently, the blood glucose, lipid profiles, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin levels were measured. The liver and adipose tissues were excised for his-topathological examination and protein expression study. Results: After six weeks of the treatment, R. nasutus extract (at 250 and 500 mg/kg per day) was found to reduce the elevated blood glucose level, improve the insulin sensitivity, decrease the serum leptin, and increase the serum adiponectin levels. The obese mice treated with R. nasutus were found to have a reduction in the increased lipid concen-trations in their serum and liver tissues. Moreover, treatment with R. nasutus reduced the fat accumulation in the liver and the large adipocyte size in the fat tissues. Interestingly, the administration with R. nasutus extract was marked by an increase in the hepatic peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor alpha, fat cell adiponectin, and glucose transporter 4 proteins. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first report on the impact of R. nasutus extract in improving the impaired glucose and lipid metabolism in high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice via stimulating the insulin sensitivity in the liver and adipose tissues.