Anti-Obesity Effects of Aqueous Extracts of Sunbanghwalmyung-Eum in High-Fat- and High-Cholesterol-Diet-Induced Obese C57BL/6J Mice

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 14; no. 14; p. 2929
• Main Authors: Kim, Hye-Lin, Ahn, You Mee, Lee, So Min, Seo, Chang-Seob, Park, Seong-Hwan, Bang, Ok-Sun, Jung, Jeeyoun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 17.07.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; AMP-activated protein kinase; Antioxidants; Body fat; Body weight; Body weight gain; C57BL/6J mice; CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein; Cholesterol; Cytokines; Herbal medicine; High cholesterol diet; High fat diet; high-fat high-cholesterol diet; Inflammation; Insulin resistance; Kinases; Laboratories; Lipids; Liver; Low density lipoprotein; Monocyte chemoattractant protein; Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; Monocytes; Muscles; Obesity; Oral administration; Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors; Phosphorylation; Proteins; Simvastatin; Sunbanghwalmyung-eum; Triglycerides; Tumor necrosis factor-α; United States > US; China; Japan; Germany
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu14142929

Sunbanghwalmyung-eum (SBH) is a traditional herbal medicine that exhibits various pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. In this study, we investigated the systemic anti-obesity effects of an aqueous extract of SBH in the liver, adipose, and muscle tissue from high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD)-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. After 6 weeks of an HFHCD, the mice were continuously fed HFHC with oral administration of SBH (100 mg/kg/day), Sim (simvastatin, 5 mg/kg/day, positive control), or water (HFHC only) for another 6 weeks. Our results showed that SBH attenuated the HFHCD-induced body weight gain and fat accumulation in the liver, and improved plasma lipid levels, such as those of triglycerides (TGs), blood total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-c). SBH and Sim inhibited the inflammation accompanied by obesity via decreasing inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1). Moreover, SBH downregulated the expression of protein levels of adipogenic-related factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), in the liver, adipose, and muscle tissue. The SBH and Sim treatment also significantly upregulated the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) in the liver and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in the adipose tissue. Overall, the effects of SBH on HFHCD-induced obesity were similar to or more potent than those of simvastatin. These results indicated that SBH has great potential as a therapeutic herbal medicine for obesity.