Rumex japonicus Houtt. Ethanol Extract and Its Active Component on Prevention of Dyslipidemia and Hyperglycemia in Diet-Induced C57BL/6J Obese Mice

Abstract

Obesity is a continuous chronic metabolic disorder and has adverse effects on health, such as dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance. This study evaluated whether Rumex japonicus Houtt. ethanol extract (RU) and its active component nepodin (NE) affect obesity and its related complications, such as dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mice. The NE and RU supplements did not produce significant differences in body weight and adipose tissue weight compared to HFD group, while plasma lipid profiles were only improved by the RU supplement. However, both the NE and RU supplement had beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance through reduction of plasma free fatty acid (FFA) (p < 0.05), insulin (p < 0.05), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (p < 0.05), and C-peptide (p < 0.05) levels. In particular, the RU supplement decreased the area under the curve (AUC) of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) (p < 0.05), and improved glucose intolerance. Taken together, NE and RU supplements can contribute to improvements in HFD-induced hyperglycemia, while dyslipidemia was only improved by the RU supplement.