Sechium edule Shoot Extracts and Active Components Improve Obesity and a Fatty Liver That Involved Reducing Hepatic Lipogenesis and Adipogenesis in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Rats

Abstract

Excess fat accumulation in the liver increases the risk of developing progressive liver injuries ranging from a fatty liver to hepatocarcinoma. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the polyphenol components of Sechium edule shoots attenuated hepatic lipid accumulation in vitro. Therefore, we investigated the effects and mechanisms of the extract of S. edule shoots (SWE) to modulate fat accumulation in a high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced animal model. In this study, we found that the SWE can reduce the body weight, adipose tissue fat, and regulate hepatic lipid contents (e.g., triglyceride and cholesterol). Additionally, treatment of caffeic acid (CA) and hesperetin (HPT), the main ingredients of SWE, also inhibited oleic acid (OA)-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. SWE enhanced the activation of AMP-activating protein kinase (AMPK) and decreased numerous lipogenic-related enzymes, such as sterol regulator element-binding proteins (SREBPs), e.g., SREBP-1 and SREBP-2, and HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCoR) proteins, which are critical regulators of hepatic lipid metabolism. Taken together, the results demonstrated that SWE can prevent a fatty liver and attenuate adipose tissue fat by inhibiting lipogenic enzymes and stimulating lipolysis via upregulating AMPK. It was also demonstrated that the main activation components of SWE are both CA and HPT.

Effect of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (Chayote) on Telomerase Levels and Antioxidant Capacity in Older Adults with Metabolic Syndrome

“…One of the main components of the MetS is obesity, an entity whose treatment is complicated; however, there is evidence in obese animal models in which supplementation with Sechium edule for three months caused a reduction in body weight [20] that coincides with our findings, since we observed a weight reduction with a decrease in BMI after three months of supplementation. Nevertheless, regarding the effectivity of Sechium edule on patients with MetS, a six-week exploratory study did not show modifications of BMI [10].…”

Effect of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (Chayote) on Oxidative Stress and Pro-Inflammatory Markers in Older Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: An Exploratory Study

“…On the other hand, S. edule contains a high quantity of flavonoids, among which are quercetin and epicatechin, for which a hypoglycemic effect secondary to the increase of insulin release via the modification of calcium metabolism in Langerhans cells has been reported [31,32]. It has also been shown that S. edule extract decreases lipid synthesis through the signaling pathway of AMPK which inhibits the expression of lipogenic enzymes which stimulates the expression of PPARα and CPT I, critical in the regulation of the hepatic metabolism of lipids—an effect that is attributed to the activity of the polyphenols present in the extract [33,34].…”

To evaluate and compare the efficacy of alcoholic and aqueous extract of Lagenaria siceraria in high fat diet model in wistar rats

“…The duration of 12 weeks was chosen as previous studies have shown increase in body weight, abdominal girth, fat mass and alteration of lipid profile with high fat diet fed over a period of 12 weeks. 19 The alteration of lipid profile might be due to activation of lipases, intestinal fat absorption, and lipolysis.…”