Research Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Obesity is closely associated with life-style-related disorders such as arteriosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and type-2 diabetes mellitus. Moringa oleifera Lam. Seeds were proved scientifically for the treatment of lifestyle related disorders. Present study was performed to clarify whether an M. oleifera Lam. Seeds ethanol extract (MOE) prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice fed for nine weeks.

Methods: We have performed two in vivo experiments such as high-fat diet-induced obesity mice model and lipid emulsion tolerance test in normal rats. In high-fat diet-induced obesity mice model, female Swiss mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD; 40% fat) with or without 1 or 2 % of MOE or 0.012% orlistat for nine weeks. In lipid emulsion tolerance test male Wistar rats were orally administered, lipid emulsion with or without 500 mg/kg or 1000 mg/kg of MOE and the plasma triglycerides were measured from 0.5 to 5 h.

Results: Consumption of HFD containing MOE to mice for nine weeks exhibited significant reduction in lipid parameters, body weight, parametrial adipose tissue weight, liver TG and different organs weight compared to HFD fed control. Whereas, improvement in insulin resistance induced by HFD alone group. Furthermore, consumption of a HFD containing 1 or 2 % of MOE significantly increased the fecal content and fecal triglyceride compared with the HFD group. Pre-treatment with MOE inhibited the elevated plasma triglyceride level after the oral administration of the lipid emulsion to rats. In other words, administration of MOE improves lipid tolerance in rats.

Conclusion: Observed anti-obesity activity of MOE in experimental animals may be partly mediated through delaying the intestinal absorption of dietary fat by inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity as evident from similar profile of activity as that of orlistat.

Keywords

Full Text

References