Anti-Obesity and Hypolipidemic Effects of Boussingaultia gracilis Miers var. pseudobaselloides Bailey in Obese Rats

Anredera cordifolia extract enhances learning and memory in senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mice

Learning and memory impairment may result from age-related decline in synaptic plasticity-related proteins in the hippocampus. Therefore, exploration of functional foods capable of ameliorating memory and cognition decline is an interesting endeavor in neuroscience research. We report the effects of Anredera cordifolia (AC) extract on learning and memory deficits in a senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mouse model, which demonstrate age-related memory deficits and related pathological changes in the brain. After 8 weeks of oral administration of AC extract, the mice were trained in the Novel Object Recognition (NOR) task, and after 7 more weeks, in the Morris Water Maze (MWM) task. Following the completion of behavioral testing, the blood biochemistry parameters, the hippocampal levels of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), PSD95, and NR2A, and the p-cAMP-response element binding (p-CREB)/CREB ratio were measured. The AC-treated group spent more time exploring the novel objects in the NOR task, and showed faster acquisition and better retention in the MWM task than the negative control (CN) group. In addition, AC enhanced the levels of the aforementioned neuronal plasticity-related proteins, and did not affect the blood biochemistry parameters. Therefore, our data suggest that the AC extract may improve learning and memory without causing any noticeable side effects in the body.

Saponins fromBoussingaultia gracilisprevent obesity and related metabolic impairments in diet-induced obese mice

Saponins fromBoussingaultia gracilisattenuate obesity and its related metabolic disorders in diet-induced obese mice.

Anti-obesity and hypolipidaemic effects of Nelumbo nucifera seed ethanol extract in human pre-adipocytes and rats fed a high-fat diet

BACKGROUND

We conducted this investigation in order to examine the anti-obesity and hypolipidaemic effects of Nelumbo nucifera seed ethanol extract (NSEE) in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS

To study the anti-obesity effect of NSEE in vitro and in vivo, human pre-adipocytes were treated with NSEE, and male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with a normal diet and a high-fat diet with or without NSEE, respectively.

RESULTS

In vitro treatment with NSEE resulted in inhibition of lipid accumulation and decreased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), and leptin in cultured human adipocytes, indicating that it inhibited the differentiation of pre-adipocytes into adipocytes. Administration of NSEE resulted in significantly reduced body weight gain and adipose tissue weights in rats. Serum triglyceride and leptin level of the high-fat diet + NSEE group was significantly lower, compared to the high-fat group.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate an inhibitory effect of NSEE on adipogenesis. In addition, NSEE had a beneficial effect, reducing adipose tissue weights, ameliorating blood lipid profile, and modulating serum leptin level in rats fed a high-fat diet. Therefore, we suggest that lotus seed has a potential to be developed as an effective agent against obesity-related diseases.

Effect of lignin-derived lignophenols on hepatic lipid metabolism in rats fed a high-fat diet

The effect of lignin-derived lignophenols on lipid metabolism in the livers of rats fed a high-fat diet was investigated. Rats fed a diet providing 45% of energy from fat were divided into 2 groups, namely 0% and 0.5% lignophenols-containing diets. The controls were fed a diet providing 10% of energy from fat. Plasma blood parameters, protein expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1, and SREBP-1c mRNA expression in the livers were examined. The plasma triglyceride levels in the rats fed lignophenols-containing diets were decreased. SREBP-1c mRNA expression in the rats fed lignophenols-containing diets was significantly reduced compared with the rats fed high-fat diets, and phosphorylated ACC protein in the rats fed lignophenols-containing diets was significantly increased. Our results suggested that lignophenols suppress the expression of SREBP-1c mRNA and the phosphorylation of ACC in the liver, and may lead to a decrease in plasma triglyceride levels.

Anti-obesity effects of Boussingaulti gracilis Miers var. pseudobaselloides Bailey via activation of AMP-activated protein kinase in 3T3-L1 cells

In a previous study, we demonstrated the anti-obesity and hypolipidemic effects of Boussingaulti gracilis Miers var. pseudobaselloides Bailey in high-fat diet-induced obese rats. The present study investigated the molecular mechanisms by which B. gracilis Miers var. pseudobaselloides Bailey ethanol extract (BGE) conferred antidifferentiation and anti-adipogenic effects in the 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation model. BGE treatment significantly and dose-dependently suppressed lipid accumulation and down-regulated the expression of major transcription factors involved in adipogenesis, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α, sterol regulatory element-binding proteins, and their target genes. It is important that treatment with BGE increased phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is one of the rate-limiting enzymes in the fatty acid synthesis pathway, and its direct downstream protein, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase. These results suggest that BGE may exert anti-adipogenic effects through regulation of AMPK activity and expression of genes involved in lipogenesis.