Anti-obesity effect of standardized ethanol extract of Embelia ribes in murine model of high fat diet-induced obesity

Overweight and obesity are the most common nutritional disorder in Western countries. The objective of this study was to evaluate anti-obesity potential of standardized Embelia ribes ethanol extract (ERE) in murine model of high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. ERE was standardized by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Male Wistar rats were fed HFD for 28 days to induce obesity. ERE (100 mg/kg) administered orally to HFD fed rats for 21 days. Changes in body weight gain, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, serum parameters, and myocardial oxidative stress parameters were measured. ERE showed a preventive effect on body weight gain, visceral fat accumulation and elevated blood pressure. The extract treatment elicited a significant reduction in serum levels of leptin by 45%, insulin by 37%, glucose by 28%, total cholesterol by 18%, and triglycerides by 24% while HDL-C level increased by 31%. Furthermore, ERE treatment decreased the myocardial lipid peroxidation and increased antioxidant levels in obese rats. These findings demonstrated the anti-obesity potential of ERE, possibly through suppression of body weight gain, lipid lowering action, improvement in insulin and leptin sensitivity and increased antioxidant defense.

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► In the present study, anti-obesity effect of E. ribes extract was investigated using a high fat diet-induced obese rat model.
► E. ribes extract treatment suppresses the high fat diet-induced increase in fat mass and body weight gain, blood pressure, myocardial lipid accumulation and oxidative stress.
► E. ribes extract treatment also significantly lowered serum lipids, insulin, glucose and leptin levels.