Ilex paraguariensis St. HILL (Aquifoliaceae) leaves, popularly known as maté (mate), yerba-mate, or erva-mate, are used in the preparation of several types of tea, beverage, and soft drink in South America. Mate trees grow naturally and have been cultivated in southern Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, and the popularity of its preparations is increasing worldwide, particularly in North America and Europe.1) Mate has central nervous system-stimulant properties attributed to its content of methylxanthine alkaloids such as caffeine 2) and it is known to contain compounds with antioxidant properties such as phenolic acids and caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, which are the most abundant compounds in the leaves. 1,3) Other reported effects including hepatoprotective, choleretic, diuretic, hypocholesterolemic, antirheumatic, antithrombotic, antiinflammatory, antiobesity, and cardioprotective effects may partially explain its popularity.1,4) Yerba-mate was suggested to have benefits over other weight-loss herbal medicines and supplements based on cited clinical evidence of adverse events.
5)In our previous studies, chronic administration of mate tea significantly decreased hyperglycemia and serum insulin levels and showed significant improvement in insulin sensitivity in a metabolic syndrome mouse model.6) The studies also indicated that mate slows gastric emptying (GE), lowers body weight (BW), and reduces food intake (FI).6) Evidence of weight loss induction with mate intake suggests possible roles of satiation increase and energy intake reduction. A number of satiety markers are implicated in the pathogenesis of appetite loss, anorexia, and FI reduction.Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is an incretin secreted by the intestinal enteroendocrine L-cells predominantly found in the ileum and colon. GLP-1 is a satiety signal released into the circulation after a meal or upon nutrient ingestion; its bioactive form GLP-1(7-36) amide constitutes the majority of the circulating hormone. Peripheral administration of GLP-1 or long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as exendin-4, reduce blood glucose and FI in rodents and humans, and chronic administration results in loss of BW. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that the anorexic effect of GLP-1 could be attributable to both its effect on GE and a direct effect on neurons in the central nervous system involved in appetite regulation. 7,8) Leptin, an adipocytokine hormone that has both central and peripheral actions, has important roles in the regulation of appetite and energy balance, and is implicated in obesity. 9,10) In this study, we investigated the effects of oral administration of mate on biomarkers of satiety, obesity, and hyperlipidemia and their correlation with the antimetabolic syndrome effects and mechanisms of action of mate in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed ddY mice. We also carried out preliminary tests on the major constituents of mate to verify the role and mechanisms of the active ingredients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the effect...