Mulberry (Morus alba) leaf has been used in Chinese medicine as the remedy for hyperlipidemia and metabolic disorders. Recent report indicated Mulberry leaf extract (MLE) attenuated dyslipidemia and lipid accumulation in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) is generally considered as the liver component of metabolic syndrome. The hepatic lipid infiltration induces oxidative stress, and is associated with interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) which are regulated by the leptin and adiponectin. MLE could prevent obesity-related NAFLD via downregulating the lipogenesis enzymes while upregulating the lipolysis markers. Treatment of MLE, especially at 2%, enhanced the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and clenched the oxidative stress of liver. MLE decreased the plasma level of leptin but increased adiponectin. The advantage of MLE is supposed mainly attributed to chlorogenic acid derivative. We suggest MLE, with promising outcome of research, could be nutraceutical to prevent obesity and related NAFLD.

Although Abelmoschus esculentus (AE) is known for anti-hyperglycemia, few reports have addressed its target. Our recent studies have focused on diabetic renal epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), which plays a critical role in fibrosis that accompanies increasing vimentin and suggested signals DPP-4/AT-1/TGF-β1. This study aimed to investigate whether AE is useful for preventing diabetic renal EMT. We used a succession of extractions and obtained the corresponding fractions F1-F5, each with its own individual properties: F1 inhibits high glucose-stimulated vimentin, AT-1, TGF-β1, and DPP-4, and recovers E-cadherin in tubular cells; F2 decreases high glucose-induced vimentin, AT-1 and DPP-4; F3-F5 do not reduce the expression of vimentin. Chemical analysis revealed that F1 is rich of flavonoid glycosides especially quercetin glucosides, and pentacyclic triterpene ester. F2 contains a large amount of carbohydrates and polysaccharides composed of uronic acid, galactose, glucose, myo-inositol etc. In conclusion, AE has the potential to serve as an adjuvant for diabetic nephropathy, with F1 and F2 especially deserving further investigation and development.