Garcinia species are widely used for their slimming effects via increased fat burning and suppression of satiety. However, scientific evidence for the biological effects of Garcinia atroviridis (GA) is lacking. We investigated the phytochemical composition, safety profiles, and antioxidant and antiobesity effects of methanolic extracts of Garcinia atroviridis (MeGa) in obese female rats. Repeated dose toxicity studies were conducted according to the OECD guidelines. Upon sacrifice, haematological, biochemical, lipid profile, and serum-based metabolomics analyses were performed to evaluate metabolic expression changes and their related pathways. MeGa contains several phytochemical groups and GA fruit acids. MeGa was found to be nontoxic in both male and female rats with an oral lethal dose (LD50) of 2000 mg/kg. After 9 weeks of treatment, MeGa-treated obese rats had lower weight gain and better lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglyceride), which correlated with the altered metabolic pathways involved in the metabolism of lipid (glycerophospholipid) and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid. In addition, MeGa caused differential metabolism pathways of arachidonic acid and tryptophan that affect the inflammatory response and suppression of appetite. We concluded that MeGa is safe, and its slimming effects are due to the differential metabolism of lipids

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia due to defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. SBH has good antihyperglycemic potential and has traditionally been used as an alternative treatment for diabetes mellitus (DM). Since the role of SBH in glucose control is still unclear in animal and human studies, the present study was designed to evaluate the antihyperglycemic effects of SBH in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat models. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were equally divided into five groups, the first group being a normal (non-diabetic) rat and the other four groups being diabetic. The normal and untreated diabetic groups received normal saline while the other diabetic groups were treated with SBH (2 g/kg body weight), metformin (MET /250 mg/kg body weight) and SBH + MET respectively. The treatment was given within 12 days. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) was measured at baseline and every two weeks thereafter. On days 7 and 12, SBH significantly lowered FBG, comparable to the normal group (p<0.05). In the group treated with MET and the combination of SBH-MET, FBG improved only on the 12th day of treatment (p<0.05). The results show that a single SBH treatment is effective in lowering blood glucose levels. Thus, SBH could be of great value in the treatment of diabetes in humans.