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Egedigwe CA, Ijeh II, Okafor PN, Ejike CECC. Aqueous and methanol extracts of Vernonia amygdalina leaves exert their anti-obesity effects through the modulation of appetite-regulatory hormones. Pharm Biol 2016; 54:3232-3236. [PMID: 27569644 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2016.1216135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Aqueous and methanol extracts of Vernonia amygdalina Del. (Asteraceae) (AEVA and MEVA, respectively) leaves are reported to possess anti-obesity properties, exerted through unknown mechanisms. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the effects of AEVA and MEVA on relevant hormones and enzymes in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-two Wistar rats were placed into seven groups. The test groups received 100 mg/kg.bw AEVA (AEVA100), 500 mg/kg.bw AEVA (AEVA500), 50 mg/kg.bw MEVA (MEVA50) and 200 mg/kg.bw MEVA (MEVA200), respectively. The positive control (PC) group received 20 mg/kg.bw Orlistat, while the negative control (NeC) and normal control (NoC) groups received distilled water. The extracts were given orally daily for 12 weeks. Thereafter, the concentrations/activities of relevant hormones/enzymes in their sera were determined. RESULTS Insulin concentrations (ng/ml) in the test groups ranged from 1.08 ± 0.01 (AEVA100) to 1.09 ± 0.01 (AEVA500). They were all similar (p > .05) to the NoC and PC controls. Leptin concentrations (pg/ml) in the test rats ranged from 0.02 ± 0.01 (AEVA500) to 0.03 ± 0.00 (MEVA50), and were all similar to the NoC group. The ghrelin concentrations of only the AEVA500 and MEVA200 groups were similar to those of the PC group (0.10 ± 0.01 pg/ml). AEVA100 and MEVA200 resulted in adiponectin concentrations (ng/ml) of the rats (0.27 ± 0.04 and 0.28 ± 0.04 respectively) that were similar to the PC group. The activities of lipoprotein lipase and the concentrations of intestinal amylase in the test rats were similar to values obtained for the control groups. CONCLUSION Appetite regulation may be the mechanism through which the weight-loss properties of AEVA and MEVA are expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chima A Egedigwe
- a Department of Biochemistry , College of Natural Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture , Umudike , Abia State , Nigeria
- b Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology , Federal University Ndufu-Alike , Ikwo , Ebonyi State , Nigeria
| | - Ifeoma I Ijeh
- a Department of Biochemistry , College of Natural Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture , Umudike , Abia State , Nigeria
| | - Polycarp N Okafor
- a Department of Biochemistry , College of Natural Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture , Umudike , Abia State , Nigeria
| | - Chukwunonso E C C Ejike
- a Department of Biochemistry , College of Natural Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture , Umudike , Abia State , Nigeria
- c Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences , Federal University Ndufu-Alike , Ikwo , Ebonyi State , Nigeria
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Wang G, Djafarian K, Egedigwe CA, El Hamdouchi A, Ojiambo R, Ramuth H, Wallner-Liebmann SJ, Lackner S, Diouf A, Sauciuvenaite J, Hambly C, Vaanholt LM, Faries MD, Speakman JR. The relationship of female physical attractiveness to body fatness. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1155. [PMID: 26336638 PMCID: PMC4556148 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Aspects of the female body may be attractive because they signal evolutionary fitness. Greater body fatness might reflect greater potential to survive famines, but individuals carrying larger fat stores may have poor health and lower fertility in non-famine conditions. A mathematical statistical model using epidemiological data linking fatness to fitness traits, predicted a peaked relationship between fatness and attractiveness (maximum at body mass index (BMI) = 22.8 to 24.8 depending on ethnicity and assumptions). Participants from three Caucasian populations (Austria, Lithuania and the UK), three Asian populations (China, Iran and Mauritius) and four African populations (Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal) rated attractiveness of a series of female images varying in fatness (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR). There was an inverse linear relationship between physical attractiveness and body fatness or BMI in all populations. Lower body fat was more attractive, down to at least BMI = 19. There was no peak in the relationship over the range we studied in any population. WHR was a significant independent but less important factor, which was more important (greater r (2)) in African populations. Predictions based on the fitness model were not supported. Raters appeared to use body fat percentage (BF%) and BMI as markers of age. The covariance of BF% and BMI with age indicates that the role of body fatness alone, as a marker of attractiveness, has been overestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanlin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kurosh Djafarian
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Chima A. Egedigwe
- Department of Biochemistry, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria
| | - Asmaa El Hamdouchi
- CNESTEN, Unité Mixte de Recherche Nutrition et Alimentation, CNESTEN-Université Ibn Tofail, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Robert Ojiambo
- College of Health Science, School of Medicine, Medical Physiology Department, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
| | - Harris Ramuth
- Biochemistry Department, Central health Laboratory services, Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Mauritius
| | | | - Sonja Lackner
- Center of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology and Immunology, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Adama Diouf
- Laboratoire de Nutrition, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Justina Sauciuvenaite
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Catherine Hambly
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Lobke M. Vaanholt
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Mark D. Faries
- Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - John R. Speakman
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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