Cashew apple extract inhibition of fat storage and insulin resistance in the diet-induced obesity mouse model

Abstract

The cashew apple is an unvalued by-product from the cashew nut industry, of which millions of tonnes are simply discarded globally. Interestingly, however, cashew apple nutrients may have beneficial effects for health even if these are still poorly described. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of a hydro-alcoholic extract of cashew apple (cashew apple extract; CAE; Cashewin™) on obesity and diabetes, in two experimental designs using the diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model. First, in the preventive design, mice were treated orally with the CAE at the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight from the first day under a high-fat diet (HFD) and during 8 weeks thereafter. Second, in the curative design, the animals were first maintained under the HFD for 4 weeks and then treated with the CAE for a further 4 weeks under the same regimen. For both experimental designs, body weight, peri-epididymal adipose tissue, liver weight, food consumption, glycaemia, insulinaemia and insulin resistance were assessed. In both designs, the CAE significantly reduced body-weight gain and fat storage in both the peri-epididymal adipose tissue and the liver for mice under the HFD. This was achieved without modifying their energy consumption. Furthermore, glycaemia, insulinaemia and insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance) of the DIO mice were significantly lowered compared with the control group. Thus, a well-designed hydro-alcoholic extract of cashew apple could provide an attractive nutritional food ingredient to help support the management of body weight and associated metabolic parameters such as blood glucose and insulin levels.

Nuts as Dietary Source of Fatty Acids and Micro Nutrients in Human Health

“…The authors suggested the anti-obesity activity of cashew nut might be due to the presence of soluble fibers and flavonoids, namely, catechin, epicatechin, and epigallocatechin, which inhibit lipoxygenase. In another study, Beejmohun et al [131] evaluated the effect of cashew nut apple extract on obesity and diabetes using the diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model. Two different designs: a 'prevention' design and curative design was adopted to evaluate the ability of the extract to prevent the development of obesity, hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance, and capacity to reverse an established disease state, respectively.…”

Cashew apple fiber prevents high fat diet-induced obesity in mice: an NMR metabolomic evaluation

“…1 presents a comparison among the 1 H NMR spectra of a chosen representative spectrum of each group with the identified compounds in serum samples between δ 0.8 and 5.5 (aliphatic and carbinolic regions) and the magnified region between δ 5.5 and 9.0 (aromatic region). The molecular structures, 1 H and 13 C chemical shifts, multiplicity, constant coupling, 2D NMR data acquisition, and processing are described in the ESI. † In general, the major compounds detected in the serum were ethanol and lactic acid.…”

“…The NMR experiments were performed on an Agilent 600 MHz spectrometer equipped with a 5 mm (H-F/ 15 N-31 P) inverse detection One Probe™ with an actively shielded z-gradient. For the biological fluid evaluation, approximately 150 μL of the serum (experimental groups of 10 mice each, i.e., 10 biological replicates) was directly mixed with 350 μL of D 2 O (deuterated water 99.9%) 50 and lactic acid at 1.33 ppm and 22.9 ppm (for 1 H and 13 C resonance, respectively) was used as the internal reference. The data were acquired in triplicate (experimental replicate) under quantitative conditions.…”

“…Identification of the constituents was performed through 2D NMR such as gradient correlation spectroscopy (COSY), gradient heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), and gradient heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) (molecular structures, 1 H and 13 C chemical shifts, multiplicity, correlations, and constant coupling, 2D NMR data acquisition and processing are available in the ESI †), and assessments were performed using an open access database (http://www. hmdb.ca) 52 and literature reports.…”

“…12 Previous studies report that cashew apple extracts, containing myricetin derivatives, quercetin derivatives and 1-O-trans-cinnamoyl-β-D-glucopyranose can inhibit fat storage and insulin resistance in the murine model of diet-induced obesity. 13 Studies have shown that diets enriched in myricetin and quercetin tend to lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, in addition to having a protective effect on obesity and insulin resistance in mice fed with a high-fat and high-sucrose diet. 14,15 Therefore, this by-product can be reused to provide nutraceuticals, dietary additives, and supplements.…”