Anti-Obesity Effect of Pine Needle Extract on High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Abstract

Background: Obesity due to an excessive intake of nutrient disturbs the hypothalamus-mediated energy metabolism subsequently develops metabolic disorders. In this study, we investigated the effect of pine needle extract (PNE) on the hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons involved in the regulation of energy balance via melanocortin system and fat tissue metabolism. Methods: We performed electrophysiological and immunohistochemical analyses to determine the effect of PNE on POMC neurons. Mice were fed a normal or high-fat diet for 12 weeks, then received PNE for the last 2 weeks to measure the following physiological indices: Body weight, food intake, fat/lean mass, glucose metabolism, and plasma leptin levels. In addition, changes of thermogenic, lipolytic, and lipogenetic markers were evaluated in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT) by western blotting, respectively. Results: PNE increased hypothalamic POMC neuronal activity, and the effect was abolished by blockade of melanocortin 3/4 receptors (MC3/4Rs). PNE decreased body weight, fat mass, plasma leptin levels, and improved glucose metabolism after high-fat-induced obesity. However, PNE did not change the expression of thermogenic markers of the BAT in HFD fed groups, but decreased only the lipogenetic markers of WAT. This study suggests that PNE has a potent anti-obesity effect, inhibiting lipogenesis in WAT, even though HFD-induced leptin resistance-mediated disruption of POMC neuronal activity.

Antihyperlipidemic and Antioxidant Activities of Flavonoid-Rich Extract of Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam. Fruits

“…As a result, interest has recently increased in the use of new natural antioxidants, mainly of plant origin [16]. It is well known that flavonoids and phenolic compounds of vegetable origin have multiple pharmacological properties, particularly the antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidemic effects [17][18][19]. To our best knowledge, no study has been done to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidemia effect of the fruits of Z. lotus of the Eastern Moroccan region.…”

Adiposity Reduction by Cucumis melo var. gaettongchamoe Extract in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

“…Thus, the development of novel anti-obesity agents with fat-burning and fat-accumulation-inhibitory activities is of great interest. Previous studies have explored various fat-burning agents, including norepinephrine, theophylline, forskolin, isoproterenol, dibutyryl-cAMP (DBcAMP), and theophylline, which have shown potential in promoting fat breakdown in adipocytes [3,25,26]. Currently, anti-obesity drugs primarily consist of centrally acting analgesics and pancreatic lipase inhibitors like orlistat and lorcaserin.…”

Anti-Obesity Actions of Two Separated Aqueous Extracts From Arbutus (Arbutus unedo) and Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) Fruits Against High-Fat Diet in Rats via Potent Antioxidant Target

“…9 It is well understood that phenolic compounds derived from plants have numerous pharmacological properties, particularly antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. 10,11 For thousands of years, medicinal plants have been recognized as a rich source of therapeutic agents to prevent and cure a variety of ailments. For this, natural products are considered safe and have the potential to treat different medical issues.…”