scholarly journals Protective Effects of Echinacea purpurea Ethanol Extract on Male Reproductive Dysfunction in Obese Rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2392
Author(s):  
Zwe-Ling Kong ◽  
Athira Johnson ◽  
Tzu-Ling Ting ◽  
Po-Jen Cheng ◽  
Chien-Feng Mao

Obesity is characterized by excessive fat accumulation and it may affect reproductive health by altering the sperm parameters, hormonal profiles, and gonadal functions. Echinacea purpurea is a medicinal herb and is well-known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the beneficial effects of E. purpurea ethanol (EPE) extract on the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced reproductive damage. The obese condition in male Sprague–Dawley rats was induced by feeding with a high-fat diet (45%) and later three different doses of EPE (93, 186, 465 mg/kg per day) were tested for 5 weeks. The results showed that the level of antioxidant enzymes was increased, whereas lipid peroxidation, blood glucose level, nitric oxide production, IL-6 level, and TNF-α level were decreased in the presence of EPE extract. In addition to this, the sperm counts, motility, morphology, DNA damage, and mitochondrial membrane potential were also improved. Additionally, the protein expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha (PPAR-α), and Phospho-Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase Alpha ½ (AMPKα1/2) phosphorylation in liver tissue and Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein (StAR) and 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 3 (17β-HSD3) expressions in testes were increased. In conclusion, the administration of EPE extracts beneficially regulated the inflammation and reproductive damage in obese rats.

Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaidatul Akmal Othman ◽  
Wan Syaheedah Wan Ghazali ◽  
Liza Noordin ◽  
Nurul Aiman Mohd. Yusof ◽  
Mahaneem Mohamed

This study was undertaken to determine the phenolic compounds and the anti-atherogenic effect of bee bread in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. The presence of phenolic compounds in bee bread was determined by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Thirty-two male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups, (n = 8/group); i.e., Normal (N), HFD (high-fat diet), HFD + BB (high-fat diet and 0.5 g/kg/day bee bread), and HFD + O (high-fat diet and 10 mg/kg/day orlistat) groups. After 6 weeks of the experiment, rats were sacrificed. Five phenolic compounds were identified in bee bread; namely, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, kaempferol, apigenin, and isorhamnetin. Bee bread significantly reduced Lee obesity index and levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity, atherogenic index, oxidised-LDL (oxLDL), and malondialdehyde (MDA), and significantly increased aortic antioxidant activities, such as those of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Adipocyte sizes were found to be smaller in the HFD + BB group compared to the N group, and en face aortas showed an absence of atherosclerotic plaque in rats supplemented with bee bread. These changes might suggest an anti-atherogenic effect of bee bread in HFD-induced obese rats via its antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemic properties.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Othman ZA ◽  
Wan ghazali WS ◽  
Noordin L ◽  
Omar N ◽  
Mohd. Yusof NA ◽  
...  

Introduction: Orlistat is a widely used drug in treating obesity as it promotes weight reduction. The aim of this study was to determine the protective effects of orlistat (10 mg/kg/day) on cardiovascular parameters and oxidative stress biomarkers in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. Methods: Twenty-four male rats Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups and fed with normal diet (N), HFD and HFD with orlistat (HFD+O). Orlistat was administered daily by oral gavage and after six weeks, all rats were sacrificed. Results: Administration of orlistat along with HFD (HFD+O) has brought significant decreases in Lee obesity index and LDL level compared to HFD group. Activities of cardiac superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) were significantly higher, whereas level of oxidised LDL was significantly lower in HFD+O group compared to HFD group. HFD group had significantly higher necrotic patch area in myocardium while minimal histological changes were seen in HFD+O group. Conclusion: This study may suggest that administration of orlistat at 10 mg/kg/day for 6 weeks may have protective effects against the changes on Lee obesity index, lipid profiles, cardiac oxidative stress biomarkers and histology of myocardium in HFD-induced obese rats possibly through its hypolipidaemic and antioxidant actions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merve Acikel Elmas ◽  
Seyit Enes Cakıcı ◽  
Ismail Rahmi Dur ◽  
Ibrahim Kozluca ◽  
Melih Arınc ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Lin-Lin Xie ◽  
Yu-Li Zhao ◽  
Jian Yang ◽  
Hui Cheng ◽  
Zhen-Dong Zhong ◽  
...  

The effects of acupuncture on osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis have been demonstrated in vitro and in animal models. However, the potential for acupuncture to mediate protective effects on obese-induced OA has not been examined. Here, we investigated the effects of different acupuncture patterns on OA pathogenesis in high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced obese rats. After 12-week diet-induced obesity, obese rats were treated with three acupuncture protocols for 2 weeks, including ST36, GB34, and ST36+GB34. The results showed that the three acupuncture protocols both prevented obesity-induced cartilage matrix degradation and MMP expression and mitigated obesity-induced systemic and local inflammation but had different regulatory effects on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota disorder of obese-induced OA rats. Furthermore, the three acupuncture protocols increased the microbial diversity and altered the structure of community of feces in obese rats. We found that ST36 and GB34 could inhibit proinflammatory shift in the gut microbiome with an increase in the ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes and promote the recovery of relative abundance of Clostridium, Akkermansia, Butyricimonas, and Lactococcus. Although both ST36 and GB34 had an anti-inflammatory effect on serum inflammatory mediators, only the acupuncture protocol with both ST36 and GB34 could effectively inhibit LPS-mediated joint inflammation in obesity rats. Therefore, relieving obesity-related chronic inflammation, lipid metabolism disorder, and gut microbiota disorder may be an important mechanism for acupuncture with ST36 and GB34 to promote OA recovery.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2448
Author(s):  
Taehwan Lim ◽  
Juhee Ryu ◽  
Kiuk Lee ◽  
Sun Young Park ◽  
Keum Taek Hwang

Choline is converted to trimethylamine by gut microbiota and further oxidized to trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) by hepatic flavin monooxygenases. Positive correlation between TMAO and chronic diseases has been reported. Polyphenols in black raspberry (BR), especially anthocyanins, possess various biological activities. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of BR extract on the level of choline-derived metabolites, serum lipid profile, and inflammation markers in rats fed high-fat and high-choline diets. Forty female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups and fed for 8 weeks as follows: CON (AIN-93G diet), HF (high-fat diet), HFC (HF + 1.5% choline water), and HFCB (HFC + 0.6% BR extract). Serum levels of TMAO, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and cecal trimethylamine (TMA) level were significantly higher in the HFC than in the HFCB. BR extract decreased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory genes including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and protein expression of NF-κB and COX-2 in liver tissue. These results suggest that consistent intake of BR extract might alleviate hypercholesterolemia and hepatic inflammation induced by excessive choline with a high-fat diet via lowering elevated levels of cecal TMA and serum TMAO in rats.


2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 868-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanne Stegen ◽  
Bram Stegen ◽  
Giancarlo Aldini ◽  
Alessandra Altomare ◽  
Luca Cannizzaro ◽  
...  

There is growing in vivo evidence that the dipeptide carnosine has protective effects in metabolic diseases. A critical unanswered question is whether its site of action is tissues or plasma. This was investigated using oral carnosine versus β-alanine supplementation in a high-fat diet rat model. Thirty-six male Sprague–Dawley rats received a control diet (CON), a high-fat diet (HF; 60% of energy from fat), the HF diet with 1.8% carnosine (HFcar), or the HF diet with 1% β-alanine (HFba), as β-alanine can increase muscle carnosine without increasing plasma carnosine. Insulin sensitivity, inflammatory signaling, and lipoxidative stress were determined in skeletal muscle and blood. In a pilot study, urine was collected. The 3 HF groups were significantly heavier than the CON group. Muscle carnosine concentrations increased equally in the HFcar and HFba groups, while elevated plasma carnosine levels and carnosine–4-hydroxy-2-nonenal adducts were detected only in the HFcar group. Elevated plasma and urine Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine in HF rats was reduced by ∼50% in the HFcar group but not in the HFba group. Likewise, inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA was decreased by 47% (p < 0.05) in the HFcar group, but not in the HFba group, compared with HF rats. We conclude that plasma carnosine, but not muscle carnosine, is involved in preventing early-stage lipoxidation in the circulation and inflammatory signaling in the muscle of rats.


Author(s):  
Maryam Mashmoul ◽  
Azrina Azlan ◽  
Norhafizah Mohtarrudin ◽  
Barakatun Nisak Mohd Yusof ◽  
Huzwah Khaza’ai ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minchun Zhang ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Minglan Yang ◽  
Cheng Qian ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Artificial sweeteners (AS) are widely used as sugar substitutes to reduce calorie intake. However, high doses of AS induced glucose tolerance by modulating gut microbiota. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of lower doses of sucralose on fecal microbiota in obesity. Methods: Eight weeks after high-fat diet, the male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=24) and administrated by a daily gavage of 2ml normal saline (CON), 0.54mM sucralose (N054), 0.78mM sucralose (N078) and 324mM sucrose (S324) respectively. After four weeks, fecal samples were obtained and used in 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Results: The richness and diversity of fecal microbiota did not change by these sucralose and sucrose dosage. Both 0.54mM (0.43mg) and 0.78mM (0.62mg) tended to reduce the beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillaceae and Akkermansiaceae. The relative abundance of family Acidaminoccaceae and its genus Phascolarctobacteriam were increased with 0.54mM sucralose. In functional prediction, 0.54mM sucralose increased profiles of carbohydrate metabolism, whereas 0.78 mM sucralose enhanced that of amino acids metabolism. Conclusions: The lower doses of sucralose altered the compositions and the metabolic functions of fecal microbiota. The benefits of sucralose and its recommended dose for obese patients should be reassessed comprehensively.


2018 ◽  
pp. 729-740
Author(s):  
B. K. CHAI ◽  
Y. S. LAU ◽  
B. J. LOONG ◽  
M. M. RAIS ◽  
K. N. TING ◽  
...  

The cis(c)-9, trans(t)-11 (c9,t11) and t10,c12 isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) have been reported as agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and beneficial in lipidemia and glycemia. However, it is unclear whether CLA isomers enhance or antagonize effects of conventional drugs targeting PPAR. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks and treated without or with CLA, rosiglitazone or both for 4 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance and surrogate markers of insulin resistance were not significantly different for all treatments compared to untreated normal diet (ND) or HFD group, except lipoprotein levels. The combination of CLA and rosiglitazone had suppressed levels of low and high density lipoproteins (46 % and 25 %, respectively), compared to HFD-alone. Conversely, the atherogenic co-efficient of the animals received HFD or HFD+rosiglitazone+CLA was 2-folds higher than ND, HFD+rosiglitazone or HFD+CLA. Isolated aortic rings from the combined CLA and rosiglitazone treated animals were less sensitive to isoprenaline-induced relaxation among endothelium-denuded aortas with a decreased efficacy and potency (Rmax=53±4.7 %; pEC50=6±0.2) compared to endothelium-intact aortas (Rmax=100±9.9 %; pEC50=7±0.2). Our findings illustrate that the combination of CLA and rosiglitazone precede the atherogenic state with impaired endothelium-independent vasodilatation before the onset of HFD-induced insulin resistance.


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