Effects of black Berberis vulgaris L combined with aerobic and resistance exercise on blood metabolic parameters and liver enzymes in obese rats

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a six-week intake of Berberis vulgaris L in combination with resistance and aerobic exercise on the lipid profile, metabolic parameters, and liver enzymes of obese male rats. Methods: 56 male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups: 1) healthy control (n = 8); 2) hypercaloric fatty-food-based diet (n = 8); 3) aerobic exercise (AE, n = 8); 4) resistance exercise (RE, n = 8); 5) black Berberis vulgaris L extract intake (n = 8); 6) Berberis intake combined with aerobic exercise (BAE, n = 8); and 7) Berberis intake combined with resistance exercise (BRE, n = 8). All the rats (except the controls) were induced fatty liver by six weeks of a hypercaloric diet before the intervention. After six weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken to obtain cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), glucose of c-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and urea. Differences between groups were evaluated using the Kruskal Wallis test with post-hoc pairwise comparisons. Results: All the intervention groups significantly (p < .05) improved the parameters compared to the hypercaloric group in almost all the assessed parameters, reaching in many cases significantly better values than the healthy group (control). Similar results were obtained between the experimental groups; however, the outcomes were slightly better (non-significant differences) for the combination of the Berberis extract and both exercise methodologies. Conclusion: The use of herbal medicines such as Berberis vulgaris L in combination with aerobic or resistance exercises may be useful in the prevention of cardiovascular disease by improving risk factors such as blood lipid levels.