Plant Extracts and Reactive Oxygen Species as Two Counteracting Agents with Anti- and Pro-Obesity Properties

Abstract

Obesity is a complex disease of great public health significance worldwide: It entails several complications including diabetes mellitus type 2, cardiovascular dysfunction and hypertension, and its prevalence is increasing around the world. The pathogenesis of obesity is closely related to reactive oxygen species. The role of reactive oxygen species as regulatory factors in mitochondrial activity in obese subjects, molecules taking part in inflammation processes linked to excessive size and number of adipocytes, and as agents governing the energy balance in hypothalamus neurons has been examined. Phytotherapy is the traditional form of treating health problems using plant-derived medications. Some plant extracts are known to act as anti-obesity agents and have been screened in in vitro models based on the inhibition of lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells and activity of pancreatic lipase methods and in in vivo high-fat diet-induced obesity rat/mouse models and human models. Plant products may be a good natural alternative for weight management and a source of numerous biologically-active chemicals, including antioxidant polyphenols that can counteract the oxidative stress associated with obesity. This review presents polyphenols as natural complementary therapy, and a good nutritional strategy, for treating obesity without serious side effects.

Oxidative Stress, Plant Natural Antioxidants, and Obesity

“…It is related to several severe complications, such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular dysfunction (CVD), and hypertension [ 1 ]. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a by-product of metabolism, and they play an important role in the development of obesity and its metabolic complications [ 2 ]. ROS participate as regulatory factors of mitochondrial activity; they modify the concentration of molecules taking part in inflammation, which is associated with a large number and size of adipocytes, they promote adipogenesis and lipogenesis, they stimulate the differentiation of preadipocytes to mature adipocytes, and they play an important role as agents that regulate the energy balance in hypothalamic neurons that control appetite [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Potential Synergistic Action of Bioactive Compounds from Plant Extracts against Skin Infecting Microorganisms

“…Historically, all medicinal preparations were derived from plants, whether as plant parts (leaf, rhizome, roots, stem, bark or fruits) or as crude extracts or mixtures. Plant extracts contain a number of bioactive compounds of different classes, including alkaloids, terpenoids, and polyphenols, possess numerous activities, such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity [9][10][11][12][13][14], and have been used in various disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and skin diseases [15][16][17][18][19]. During the last few decades, the use of traditional medicine has expanded globally and has gained popularity as primary health care in developing countries, and in countries where conventional medicine is predominant [20].…”

Spirulina Lipids Alleviate Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Mice Fed a High-Fat and High-Sucrose Diet

“…In contrast, the expression of inflammatory-inducing molecules is known to be upregulated by the oxidative stress increase in obese individuals, and this inflammation is implicated in the development of various metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance [4,9,[19][20][21][22]. Therefore, the reduction in oxidative stress and the increase in endogenous antioxidant defenses may be effective at improving obesity-associated metabolic dysfunctions [23,24]. From this viewpoint, much attention has been paid to antioxidant-rich food products [6,21,23,24].…”