Obesity is a condition associated with the accumulation of excess fat in the body, energy imbalance, lipogenesis, etc., which increases adipose tissue mass through adipogenesis and poses a health risk. Its prevalence has become an economic burden to the health care system and the world at large. One of the alternatives to tackling obesity involves the use of bioactive compounds. We critically examined the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract (HSE) on various parameters associated with the development of obesity such as; the effect of HSE on body weight, the effect of HSE on lipid accumulation, cholesterol metabolism and plasma parameters, the inhibitory effect of HSE on pancreatic lipase, and the effect of HSE on adipocyte differentiation/adipogenesis. This review has gathered reports on the various anti-obesity effects of H. sabdariffa bioactive compounds in cell and animal models, as well as in humans. Available toxicology information on the consumption of H. sabdariffa revealed that its toxicity is dose-dependent and may cause an adverse effect when administered over a long period of time. Reports have shown that H. sabdariffa derived bioactive compounds are potent in the treatment of obesity with an evident reduction in body weight, inhibition of lipid accumulation and suppression of adipogenesis through the PPARγ pathway and other transcriptional factors.

Present-day lifestyles associated with high calorie-fat intake and accumulation, as well as energy imbalance, have led to the development of obesity and its comorbidities, which have emerged as some of the major health issues globally. To combat the disease, many studies have reported the anti-obesity effects of natural compounds in foods, with some advantages over chemical treatments. Carotenoids, such as xanthophyll derived from seaweeds, have attracted the attention of researchers due to their notable biological activities, which are associated mainly with their antioxidant properties. Their involvement in oxidative stress modulation, the regulation of major transcription factors and enzymes, and their antagonistic effects on various obesity parameters have been examined in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The present review is a collation of published research over the last decade on the antioxidant properties of seaweed xanthophyll carotenoids, with a focus on fucoxanthin and astaxanthin and their mechanisms of action in obesity prevention and treatment.

Farrerol (FA) is a flavanone isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine “Man-shan-hong” (Rhododendron dauricum L.). In the present study, FA decreased the viability of SKOV3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and it induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. Cell cycle distribution analysis via flow cytometry showed that FA decreased G1 populations and increased G2/M populations in SKOV3 cells. Additionally, Western blotting confirmed an increase in the expression level of proteins involved in the cell cycle, e.g., CDK and cyclins. FA-induced apoptosis in SKOV3 cells was also investigated using a TUNEL assay, and increased expression levels of proapoptotic factors, including Caspase-3 and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), through the Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/MAPK pathway were investigated. Proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1) have been identified as a driver of the pathological mechanisms underlying involuntary weight loss and impaired physical function, i.e., cachexia, during cancer; in the present study, we showed that farrerol attenuates TNF-α-induced lipolysis and increases adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells. Thus, farrerol could potentially be used as an anticancer agent or anticachetic drug.

Jaceosidin a flavone abundant in Artemisia species has been used for its beneficial effects. This study investigated the apoptotic effect of jaceosidin treatment on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells at varying concentrations of (0, 10, 20 and 40 µM) for 24 and 48 h treatment times.Jaceosidin treatment induced a significant (p<0.05) dose-dependent increase in apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. Jaceosidin similarly modulated the expressions of apoptosis-associated proteins, and revealing a coaction between Bax and Bcl-2, striking a balance between cell survival/cell death. Besides, a significant increase in pro-apoptotic expression of cleaved PARP which is a key executioner in apoptosis was observed. Apoptosis was confirmed in the cells by flow cytometry which indicated an early apoptosis (7%, 17%), as well as late apoptosis (36%, 40%) of the cells in varying percentages as treatment concentration increased. Thus, this study demonstrates that jaceosidin could be used as a potential treatment for breast cancer.

Obesity is a condition associated with the accumulation of excess fat in the body, energy imbalance, lipogenesis etc. which increases adipose tissue mass through adipogenesis and probes a health risk. Its prevalence has become a large burden on the world at large. One of the solutions to tackling obesity is with the use of bioactive compounds. We critically examined the effectiveness of hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) on various parameters associated with development of obesity such as; effect of HSE on body weight and energy expenditure, effect of HSE on fat accumulation, effect of HSE on lipase inhibition, effect of HSE on adipocyte differentiation/adipogenesis. This review has gathered reports on the various anti-obesity effects of HS bioactives in cell and animal models, as well as in humans. Reports have shown that hibiscus sabdariffa derived bioactives are potent in the treatment of obesity with evident reduction in body weight, inhibition of lipid accumulation and suppression of adipogenesis through PPAR&gamma; pathway and other transcriptional factors.