Improvement of Obesity and Dyslipidemic Activity of Amomum tsao-ko in C57BL/6 Mice Fed a High-Carbohydrate Diet

Abstract

Amomum tsao-ko Crevost et Lemaire (Zingiberaceae) is a medicinal herb found in Southeast Asia that is used for the treatment of malaria, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, etc. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an ethanol extract of Amomum tsao-ko (EAT) on obesity and hyperlipidemia in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD). First, the mice were divided into five groups (n = 6/group) as follows: normal diet, HCD, and HCD+EAT (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/day), which were orally administered with EAT daily for 84 days. Using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) analysis, we found that EAT inhibited not only body-weight gain, but also visceral fat and subcutaneous fat accumulation. Histological analysis confirmed that EAT decreased the size of fat tissues. EAT consistently improved various indices, including plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, atherogenic index, and cardiac risk factors, which are related to dyslipidemia—a major risk factor for heart disease. The contents of TC and TG, as well as the lipid droplets of HCD-induced hepatic accumulation in the liver tissue, were suppressed by EAT. Taken together, these findings suggest the possibility of developing EAT as a therapeutic agent for improving HCD-induced obesity and hyperlipidemia.

Research Trends of Animal Experiment on the Herbal Medicine for Obesity: During the Recent 5 Years

“…실험군의 중재약물은 24편 [11][12][13][14]16,17,20,22,24,25,27,[33][34][35]37,39,44,45,47,50,54,56,57,60) 에서 단일약재, 나머지 26편에서 복합처방 형태로 사용되 었다. 논문에 사용된 단일약재는 모두 21종이었고 그 중 계지 12,17) , 갈근 16,37) , 차전초 33,34) 는 각각 2편에서 사용되었다.…”

“…중재기간은 짧게는 2주 13) 에서 길게는 16주 22) 까지였으 며, 동일한 중재에 대해 6, 8, 16주씩 기간을 다르게 설정 하여 비교한 논문이 1편 50) 있었다(Tables 1, 2). 26,30,32,39,60) , 3가지 범주의 평가방법을 사용한 논문이 20 11,12,14,18,[20][21][22][23]28,31,33,37,[43][44][45]51,52,54,58,59) 이었고, 4가지 범주의 평가방 법을 모두 사용한 논문이 24편 13,[15][16][17]19,24,25,27,29,35,36,38,[40][41][42][46][47][48][49][50]53,[55][56][57] 으로 가장 많았다. 13,15,…”

“…현미경적 분석은 35편 11,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]27,29,33,35,36,38,[40][41][42][46][47][48][49][50][51][53][54][55][56][57][58] 에서 이루 어졌고, 간조직, 지방조직, 골격근조직, 췌장조직 등을 대 상으로 하였다. 31편 11,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]27,29,33,35,36,38,…”

“…ob/ob mouse를 이용한 2편 21,28) 의 논 문은 형질전환을 통해 비만을 유도한 것이고, 그 외 47편 의 논문에서는 식이 조절을 통해 비만을 유도하였다. 고 탄수화물식이를 사용한 1편 54) 의 논문을 제외하면 모두 고지방식이를 사용하였으며, 그 중 1편 45) 에서는 고지방식 이에 20% fructose water를 추가하였으며, 1편 48) 에서는 고 지방식이에 고콜레스테롤식이를 복합적으로 사용하였다 (Table 1).…”

Genome Sequencing of Amomum tsao-ko Provides Novel Insight Into Its Volatile Component Biosynthesis

“…The essential oil of A. tsao-ko and its polyphenol extract can modulate gut microbiota and alleviate hypercholesterolemia ( Liu et al, 2021 ). The ethanol extract of A. tsao-ko can improve dyslipidemia-related indices, including plasma levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and atherogenesis, in mice on high-carbohydrate diets ( Park et al, 2021 ). It is also a common food additive and spice, which can develop food flavor while retaining medicinal effects.…”