Reduction of fat storage in mice fed a high‐fat diet long term by treatment with saponins prepared from Kochia scoparia fruit

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 20; no. 10; pp. 877 - 882
• Main Authors: Han, Li‐Kun, Nose, Rumiko, Li, Wei, Gong, Xiao‐Jie, Zheng, Yi‐Nan, Yoshikawa, Masayuki, Koike, Kazuo, Nikaido, Tamotsu, Okuda, Hiromichi, Kimura, Yoshiyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.10.2006; Wiley
• Subjects: adipose tissue; Animals; atherosclerosis; Bassia scoparia; Bassia scoparia - chemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Body Fat Distribution; Cholesterol - blood; dietary fat; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Dietary Fats - analysis; Dietary Fats - metabolism; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; emulsions; ethanol; Feces - chemistry; Female; Fruit - chemistry; General pharmacology; high fat diet; hyperlipidemia; hypertension; intestinal absorption; Kochia scoparia; Lipase - antagonists & inhibitors; Liver - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; obesity; Obesity - drug therapy; oral administration; Organ Size - drug effects; Pancreas - enzymology; pancreatic lipase; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Wistar; raw fruit; saponins; Saponins - chemistry; Saponins - isolation & purification; Saponins - therapeutic use; tissue weight; triacylglycerol lipase; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides - analysis; Conservation; Triacylglycerol lipase; Lipids; Esterases; mice; Medicinal plant; Saponin; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Pancreas; Nutritional status; Obesity; Weed; Fruit; Enzyme; Pharmacognosy; Rodentia; Nutrition disorder; Long term; Feeding; Carboxylic ester hydrolases; Chenopodiaceae; Kochia scoparia: pancreatic lipase; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Treatment; Diet; Mouse; Animal; Plant origin; high-fat diet; Fat; Hydrolases; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.1981

The fresh fruit (Japanese name, Tonburi) of Kochia scoparia has been used as a food garnish in Japanese‐style dishes from ancient times, and may prevent metabolic syndromes such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity and atherosclerosis. This study was performed to clarify whether an ethanol extract of K. scoparia fruit prevented obesity induced in mice by a high‐fat diet for 9 weeks. The ethanol extract of K. scoparia fruit prevented the increases in body weight and parametrial adipose tissue weight induced by the high‐fat diet. Furthermore, consumption of a high‐fat diet containing 1% or 3% K. scoparia extract significantly increased the fecal content and the fecal triacylglycerol level at day 3 compared with those in the high‐fat diet group. The ethanol extract (250 mg/kg) and total saponins (100 mg/kg) of K. scoparia inhibited the elevation of the plasma triacylglyccerol level 2 or 3 h after the oral administration of the lipid emulsion. Total saponins, momordin Ic, 2′‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl momordin Ic and 2′‐O‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl momordin IIc isolated from K. scoparia fruit inhibited the pancreatic lipase activity (in vitro). These findings suggest that the anti‐obesity actions of K. scoparia extract in mice fed a high‐fat diet may be partly mediated through delaying the intestinal absorption of dietary fat by inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.