Obesity and overweight are associated with atherosclerosis, fatty liver, hyperlipemia, diabetes mellitus, and various types of cancer. The global prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Here, we investigated the effect of Tamarindus indica pulp aqueous extract (TIE) in diet-induced obese Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were divided into five groups and labeled as follows: the normal control (NC) group received normal diet; the positive control (PC) group received high-fat diet; and the TIE 5, 25, and 50 groups, after the induction of obesity via a high-fat diet, received TIE at 5, 25, or 50 mg/kg orally for 10 weeks. It was observed that TIE decreased the levels of plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride, and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), with the concomitant reduction of body weight. Moreover, TIE decreased plasma leptin and reduced fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity and enhanced the efficiency of the antioxidant defense system. TIE exhibits antiobesity effects, as indicated by a significant reduction in adipose tissue weights, as well as lowering the degree of hepatic steatosis in the obesity-induced rats. The extract possesses hepatoprotective activity, as it reversed the plasma liver enzymes level elevation prior to the high-fat diet. In conclusion, TIE improved obesity-related parameters in blood, liver, and adipose tissue in a rat model and suppressed obesity induced by a high-fat diet, possibly by regulating lipid metabolism and lowering plasma leptin and FAS levels. A dose-dependant effect of TIE is detected, where TIE at 50 mg/kg showed the most prominent effect, followed by TIE at 25 mg/kg and, subsequently, 5 mg/kg.

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It is imperative that there be a diet designed specifically to improve lipid profile in order to impede the progress of atherosclerosis. Because rice is a staple food in Asia, it will be chosen as the diet of interest. This study sets out to discover whether consumption of different processed rice diets may result in a change of the lipid profile. The experiment was done on male New Zealand white rabbits after 10 weeks of treatment with diet containing 0.5% cholesterol. The experimental diets include white rice (WR), brown rice (BR), and germinated brown rice (GBR). Among them, rabbits fed a GBR diet demonstrated significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), LDL/HDL, and atherogenic index (AI) and a higher level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Results from atherosclerotic plaque assessment further support the findings. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), which acts as an indicator for oxidative stress, was also reduced by GBR diet. The positive change in lipid profile in the rabbits fed GBR appeared to correspond with the higher amounts of γ-oryzanol, tocopherol, and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content.

: Maternal obesity is a metabolic disorder described by chronic inflammation and an increase of stress hormones, influencing non-communicable diseases in offspring. Elateriospermum tapos has the potential as an antioxidant and inhibitor of lipids (pancreatic lipase) and carbohydrates (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) which are beneficial to combat obesity and diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of E. tapos supplementation in obese rats prior to pregnancy on the dam and male offspring body weight and the level of stress hormones—adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT). Thirty female Sprague Dawley rats were used in this study. Six rats were assigned to a normal diet (DND) group fed with a standard chow diet. The remaining rats were fed with a high-fat and cafeteria diet (HFCD) to generate obesity for five weeks. The obese rats were further divided into four groups (n = 6/group); dams negative control group (DNC, normal saline), dams positive control group (DPC, 200 mg/kg body weight of orlistat), dams treatment 1 group (DTX1, 200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos seed) and dams treatment 2 group (DTX2, 200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos shell). The treatment was given for six weeks daily before mating. At weaning, male offspring were designated into six groups according to their dam’s group (n = 6/group) and continued with the cafeteria diet except for the control group. The offspring were culled at 12 weeks of age for blood sample collections. DTX2 and their male adult offspring showed significantly lower body weight compared to DNC and their male offspring. Male offspring from DTX2 also showed significantly low ACTH and CORT levels compared to male offspring from the DNC group and a comparable level with the DND group. E. tapos shell supplementation was effective in reducing the development of obesity and suppressed stress through the regulation of ACTH and CORT release in male adult offspring.

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Natural products derived from plants are used to treat cancer due to fewer side effects compared to standard treatments available for cancer. The second highest cancer that causes death worldwide is lung cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the cytotoxic activity of hot and cold aqueous extract of E. tapos seed and shell on human cancer cell line A549 as well as the apoptosis mechanism. The apoptosis mechanisms were evaluated by cell viability (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide tetrazolium reduction assay; MTT assay), Hoechst 33358 staining and detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity. The apoptosis inducing activity was analyzed in set of morphological and biochemical features. Hot aqueous shell extract (SHH) showed an anti-proliferative effect at the IC50 of 49.8 ± 0.06 µg/mL correlated with apoptosis induction by increasing the ROS activity by significant (p < 0.05) increase of 3.25 folds compared to control. Results suggest that SHH poses an anti-proliferative effect on account of apoptosis through ROS mediated mitochondria mutilation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Elateriospermum tapos aqueous extract supplementation on serum leptin of male offspring at weaning. A total of 30 female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to two groups, where the control group (CG) consisted of six rats and the remaining rats had obesity-induced over five weeks with a high-fat diet pellet and cafeteria food. After five weeks, the obese group was further divided into four groups, a negative control group (NG), positive control group (PG) (orlistat 200 mg/kg), treatment 1 (TX1) (200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos seed) and treatment 2 (TX2) (200 mg/kg BW of E. tapos shell) for 6 weeks. After six weeks, all rats were mated and continued with their respective diet till weaning. One male pup from each dam culled at weaning (postnatal day 21 (PND21)). The results show that body weight in male offspring (M) from negative group dams (NG) was significantly heavier as compared to other pup groups. Total adipose tissue weight in MTX1 and MTX2 of the male offspring was also significantly lower compared to MNG. In mums, serum leptin of NG was significantly higher as compared to the CG group, whereas both treatment groups showed a significant reduction in serum leptin compared to the NG group. In pups, the MTX2 group showed a more substantial reduction in body weight and serum leptin compared to other pups from other mother’s groups. In conclusion, E. tapos aqueous extract supplementation has a greater effect on ameliorating maternal obesity effects on male offspring by lowering body weight, inhibit fat deposition, and reducing serum leptin.