Supplementation ofHeliotropium indicumLinn attenuates obesity and associated metabolic disorders in high‐carbohydrate‐high‐fat diet‐induced obese rats

Abstract

Heliotropium indicum Linn is a leafy vegetable that has been used in Bangladeshi ethnomedicinal practices. The attenuation effect of H. indicum supplementation was evaluated in high carbohydrate high-fat (HCHF) diet-induced obesity and associated disorders in 8-weeks-old female Wister rats. H. indicum significantly (p < .05) prevented weight gain and improved glucose intolerance in obese rats. It also significantly (p < .05) ameliorated lipid parameters in HCHF diet fed rats preventing hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, resulting in improved the artherogenic index (AI). Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were brought to normal by H. indicum. It significantly elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities as well as increased reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration in liver. The intense liver fat deposition was seen in HCHF fed rats which were relatively low in H. indicum fed rats. Therefore, H. indicum has the ability to prevent obesity and associated metabolic disorders. Practical applications Obesity and associated metabolic disorders are the most common threats to public health. Modern lifestyle and food habits are the main causes behind this malice, and the introduction of functional foods in daily diet is proved to be highly beneficial. Results of this study demonstrated that H. indicum can effectively attenuate obesity and its associated metabolic complications. Therefore, the current study has the merits to promote scientific knowledge of the dietary application of H. indicum as a functional food among the community.

Amaranthus spinosus Attenuated Obesity-Induced Metabolic Disorders in High-Carbohydrate-High-Fat Diet-Fed Obese Rats

“…But liver weight significantly increased in the HCHF diet-fed obese rats developing fatty liver compared to control rats, which was brought back to normal by all the test samples and atorvastatin ( Table 1 ). Abdominal fat accumulation is an early sign of obesity and beef fat used to produce the HCHF diet of our study is a proven contributor of abdominal fat deposition ( 4 ). We found marked differences in abdominal fat deposition between control and HCHF diet-fed obese rats, whereas this amount was reduced in obese rats supplemented with atorvastatin and A. spinosus samples ( Table 1 ).…”

“…Furthermore, with an unaltered supply of high energy diet, hepatic lipogenesis continues to occur that can lead to consequences ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis and fibrosis ( 32 ). Disrupted lipid homeostasis also causes atherogenic dyslipidemia characterized by increased levels of LDL-C augmenting chances of cardiac complications ( 4 ). Another complexity associated with diet-induced obesity is the systemic oxidative stress manifested by a decrease in endogenous antioxidant enzyme activities including GSH, GPx, SOD, and CAT.…”

“…SOD level in the liver of the experimental rats was determined using an indirect technique calculating auto-oxidation of epinephrine ( 4 ). 0.3 mL separated supernatant from hepatic tissue homogenate was consecutively mixed with 1.8 mL 50 mM carbonate buffer having pH 10.2, 0.1 mL 3 × 10 −4 M epinephrine, and 1 ml EDTA solution having pH 10.2 with the temperature maintained at 30°C.…”

“…Though genetic factors significantly contribute to the development of dyslipidemia, researchers have claimed diet rich in fat and carbohydrate as the most common cause (49,50). High-carbohydrate-highfat containing diet can also induce dyslipidemia in laboratory rats in a similar way to humans (4,23,32). In our study, significantly elevated serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, and VLDL-C, and decreased HDL-C level were found in HCHF diet-fed rats compared to control rats (Table 2), thus showing evidence for the development of atherogenic dyslipidemia.…”

“…It is forecasted that the levels of obesity will reach 85 and 89% in females and males, respectively, by 2030 resulting in a hike in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases by 97%, diabetes by 21%, and cancers by 61%, thus, impacting not only on global public health but also healthcare costs ( 3 ). Obesity is considered the pivotal factor behind metabolic syndrome, one of the major public health crises of the present world with more than 20% of the global population suffering from this ( 4 , 5 ). It is characterized by a group of abnormalities that involve at least three of five major clinical symptoms: abdominal fat deposition, insulin resistance, high serum triglycerides, diminished serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and hypertension, among which abdominal fat deposition or abdominal obesity is most prevalent ( 5 ).…”