Weight-reducing effect of calcium pyruvate and chitosan combined with Chinese herbs used as food and medicine on rats with nutritional obesity

Jing LEI; Xuanshe LI; Wanli XUE

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Calcium pyruvate has great effect on reducing bodymass, and chitosan can regulate immunity system, promote bone growth, decrease blood sugar and adjust blood lipid. Calcium pyruvate and chi tosan capsule (CCC) was made by calcium pyruvate and chitosan combined with Chinese medicine, which can be used both as food and medicine. However, its effect still needs further observation.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the weight-reducing effect of CCC on obesity rats, and explore its mechanism.

DESIGN:

A randomized controlled trial.

SETTING:

Teaching and Research Section of Preventive Medicine, Department of Public Health, Xi'an Medical College, and Department of Public Health, Medical School of Xi' an Jiaotong University.MATERIALS The experiment was conducted in the Department of Public Health, Medical School of Xi'an Jiaotong University from April to July 2001. Totally 60 healthy male weaning SD rats with body mass of 50-80 g,were provided by the Animal Center of Xi'an Jiaotong University. CCC,mainly composed of calcium pyruvate and chitosan, mixed with Chinese medicine extract after prepared with distilled water, was made by the author.

METHODS:

①Grouping and modeling The 60 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups blank control group, model control group, high, middle and low dose CCC supplement groups, respectively with 12 rats in each group. The rats in the blank control group were fed w ith basal diet; the other groups were fed with high fat and nutrition diet to establish rat models of nutritional obesity. ②Administration The rats in the blank and model control groups were given suspension mixed with starch matrix in capsule and distilled water at same dose. The rats in the high, middle and low dose CCC groups were intragastrically infused with 3, 1.5 and 0.75 g/kg CCC, once aily for 30 days. ③Detection Body mass, body length and wet weight of fat tissue were measured before and after administration to calculate the obese index and ratio of fat weight/body mass. The adipocyte number and adipocyte size were observed by 400-fold microscope and ocular micrometer, respectively. The detection of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and serum leptin levels were performed according to the leptin radioimmunity analyzer kit.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

①Body mass, body length and obesity index before and after administration. ②Wet weight of fat, fat/body mass,adipocyte number and size. ③TG, TC, HDL-C and serum leptin.

RESULTS:

All the 60 rats were involved in the result analysis. Before administration, the body mass of the blank control group was obviously lower than other 4 groups (P ＜ 0.01), and there was no significant difference among the 4 groups (P ＞ 0.05). After administration, the mean body mass,obesity index, wet weight of fat tissue, ratio of fat/body mass and leptin level of the high, middle and low CCC groups were lower than the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01), and the adipocyte size were significantly smaller than those in the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01), but the adipocyte number was more than the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01). Meanwhile, level of TG and TC of the high and middle dose CCC groups were lower than the model group (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01), there was no significant difference in the body length and HDL-C of each group.

CONCLUSION:

①CCC shows evident weight-reducing effect on rats with nutritional obesity, which is not related to the ability of CCC to enhance the serum leptin level. ②CCC can also lower the blood lipid level.