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In This Article

  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Protocol
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Disclosures
  • Acknowledgements
  • Materials
  • References
  • Reprints and Permissions

Summary

This work presents a protocol to explore the anti-obesity effect of two plants used together, for a 5-week duration. There was a combined administration of the extract and high-fat-diet (HFD) in the obese mice. The method can promote the benefits of plants in the treatment of obesity.

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated that the phytochemical contents of plants are potential anti-obesity agents. In this study we examine the effect of using a combination of dry buttons from Syzygium aromaticum and seeds from Cuminum cyminum (CC) on C57BL6/J mice induced with obesity via high-fat-diet (HFD). The aim of this study is to demonstrate that the method proposed in the study reduced obesity significantly after several weeks of experimentation. The extract from both plants was extracted using ultrasound to enhance the extraction of phytochemicals. Optimum extraction conditions were obtained with ethanol as follows: 50:50 v/v water with an ultrasound power of 300 W, and ultrasonication time of 30 minutes. The simultaneous administration of the CC extract in HFD for 5 weeks led to the regulation of lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglycerides), reduction of food intake, weight gain, adipose tissue and liver weight. Findings obtained by this obese model indicate that CC extract can prevent obesity. Compared with the traditional 16 weeks method (8 weeks to get fat, and 8 weeks to lose weight), similar results were obtained in the present study obese model in less time of experimentation.

Introduction

Excess body fat accumulation is a characteristic of obesity. The disequilibrium between energy intake and consumption leads to the storage of excess energy in adipocytes, which is related to metabolic risk factors for hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and cardiovascular disease1,2.

Natural products with minimum side effects and low cost have received increased attention since previous studies have reported bioactive phytochemicals and potential anti-obesity agents with mechanisms that reverse or delay metabolic syndrome and associated pathologies8.

Several medicinal plants have been studied to prevent obesity and related diseases. Among them, Syzygium aromaticum has been investigated for its anti-obesity potential in in vitro treatment on 3T3-L1 cells and in vivo treatment on mice fed with a high-fat diet11. In addition, significant anti-overweight effects were observed in a multi-center open trial of Cuminum cyminum on extremely obese subjects12. In this study, C57BL6/J mice was used to investigate the experimental fast model to evaluate a potential anti-obesity agent using a combination of both edible plants.

Protocol

All animal experiments were approved by the Animal Experiment Committee of Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas (IPN; Protocol No. 2732).

1. Preparation of the extract of the combination of cloves and cumin

NOTE: The edible plants, Syzygium aromaticum (clove) and Cuminum cyminum (cumin) were purchased from Central de Abastos CDMX, Mexico.

  1. Grind 500 g of seeds from the plants and perform ultrasonic-assisted extraction. Sonicate them (320 Watts; 24 kHz frequency, 30 min) with ethanol:water (60:40 v/v) at a temperature range of 30 ± 4 °C.13
  2. Filter the solids using Whatman number 2 filter paper under vacuum and concentrate the extract with a rotary evaporator.
  3. Measure the UV-vis spectrum of the extract of both plants (CC).

2. Animals

  1. Use male C57BL6/J mice of six weeks old (48 in total, body weight 24-29 g) for the study.
  2. House the animals in groups of eight in standard laboratory conditions: temperature (20-22 ± 1 °C), relative humidity (45-54 ± 2%), lighting (08:00-20:00 h) with food and water ad libitum. Acclimate the mice in these conditions for a week before the experiment.

3. Experimental Procedure

  1. Prepare the high fat diet14 as in Table 1.
  2. At the beginning of the test, subject each of the groups formed (n = 8) to different treatments: Feed Group 1 on a normal diet; Group 2, on high-fat diet; Group 3, on high-fat diet + 100 mg/kg of CC extract; Group 4, on high-fat diet + 250 mg/kg of CC extract; Group 5, on high-fat diet + 450 mg/kg of CC extract; Group 6, on high-fat diet + phentermine (an antiobesity drug used as positive control)15.
  3. Feed all the groups of mice for 5 weeks and record the amount of food consumed daily.
    1. In a test tube with stopper, homogenize the extract or the drug with the dose of water corresponding to the group to which the treatment is being administered. This is done with vortex shaker.
    2. Once homogenized, add all the corresponding treatment into the drinker of each group.

4. Sample collection

  1. Measure both food intake and body weight once per week. Fast the mice overnight for a 5-week period.
  2. Sacrifice them by cervical dislocation and necropsy.
  3. After the mice have been sacrificed, immobilize them in a supine position.
  4. Using clean surgical forceps and scissors, locate and lift the central skin near the genitals and make a small 0.2 mm incision.
  5. Insert the flat scissors horizontally into the incision and carefully separate the abdominal skin from the abdominal wall.
  6. With the forceps, lift the central skin and with the surgical scissors cut it at the level of the rib cage. Then cut the skin above both of the hind limbs to facilitate the collection of adipose tissue.
  7. Ensure the collection of all adipose tissue from the body by blunt dissection with scissors and forceps. Once collected, place the adipose tissue in aluminum foil. Remember to collect the fat around the reproductive organs. Avoid the accumulation of hair and skin to not alter the results.
  8. To access the visceral adipose tissue, cut the abdominal muscle with surgical scissors from the genitals to the rib cage, making an incision in the abdominal muscles from the genitals towards the mouse's back.
  9. Perform a hepatectomy to remove 100% of the liver. To externalize the liver, remove unnecessary organs and cut the hepatic veins and arteries to separate the liver from the rest of the body. As the last step, precisely extract the gallbladder from the liver16.
  10. Measure hypercholesterolemia (cholesterol) and hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides) using commercial assay kits according to the manufacturer's indications.

5. Statistical analysis

NOTE: All experimental results should be representative from three independent assays, expressed as mean ± standard deviation.

  1. Calculate standard error with a one-way ANOVA analysis of variance followed by Tukey's range test. Consider a P< 0.05 as statistically significant.

Results

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction
The optimum extraction condition for the extraction was ethanol:water (50:50, v/v) with an ultrasound power of 300 W and an ultrasonication time of 30 min. This way, the extraction was faster than conventional extraction methods (Table 2). The extract showed an intense absorption peak at 320 nm in UV-visible spectra (Figure 1).

Food intake and body weight
The changes in the body weight o...

Discussion

In this study we evaluated, for the first time, the effect of oral administration of a combination of cloves and cumin (CC) extract on lipid profiles and obesity in mice fed with a high-fat diet for 5 weeks. Findings indicated that the HFD groups showed a significantly higher body weight gain compared to the ND group, which showed that the induction of obesity in the obese model was successful. The administered dose of CC (100, 200 and 450 mg/kg/day) produced a reduction in food intake and body weight. Consequently, the ...

Disclosures

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Instituto Politécnico Nacional México.

Materials

NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
Distilled WaterAny vendorn/aAvailable for other vendors as well
EthanolFermont606399.8% purity
 Diet Ingredients
CaseinAny vendorn/a
CelluloseAny vendorn/a
Centrum balance multivitaminPfizern/a
Choline BitartrateAny vendorn/a
L- cysteinSigma Aldrich168149Available for other vendors as well
LardAny vendorn/a
Maltodextrin 10Any vendorn/a
Pellets NutricubosPurinan/aAvailable for other vendors as well
Soybean OilAny vendorn/a
SucroseAny vendorn/a
Extraction Equipment
RotavaporBuchiR-300
Shimadzu UV-1800 UV/Visible Scanning SpectrophotometerCole ParmerT-83400-20Available for other vendors as well
Ultrasonic UnitElmaTI-H-20Available for other vendors as well
Vacuum pumpBuchiV-100

References

  1. Singla, P., Bardoloi, A., Parkash, A. A. Metabolic effects of obesity: A review. World Journal of Diabetes. 1 (1), 76-88 (2010).
  2. Ojulari, O. V., Lee, S. G., Nam, J. O. Beneficial Effects of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on Obesity. Molecules. 24 (1), 210 (2019).
  3. Bahmani, M., et al. Obesity phytotherapy: review of native herbs used in traditional medicine for obesity. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. 21 (3), 228-234 (2016).
  4. Ríos-Hoyo, A., Gutiérrez-Salmeán, G. New Dietary Supplements for Obesity: What We Currently Know. Current Obesity Reports. 5 (2), 262-270 (2016).
  5. Hasani-Ranjbar, S., Nayebi, N., Larijani, B., Abdollahi, M. A systematic review of the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines used in the treatment of obesity. World Journal Gastroenterology. 15 (25), 3073-3085 (2009).
  6. Hardeman, W., Griffin, S., Johnston, M., Kinmonth, A. L., Wareham, N. J. Interventions to prevent weight gain: a systematic review of psychological models and behaviour change methods. Nternational Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. 24 (1), 131-143 (2000).
  7. Dinda, B., Dinda, M., Roy, A., Dinda, S. Dietary plant flavonoids in prevention of obesity and diabetes. Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology. 120, 159-235 (2020).
  8. Mayer, M. A., Hocht, C., Puyo, A., Taira, C. A. Recent advances in obesity pharmacotherapy. Current Clinical Pharmacology. 4 (1), 53-61 (2009).
  9. Rafie, A. Z. M., Syahir, A., Ahmad, W. A. N. W., Mustafa, M. Z., Mariatulqabtiah, A. R. 2018 supplementation of stingless bee honey from heterotrigona itama improves antiobesity parameters in high-fat diet induced obese rat model. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. , 6371582 (2018).
  10. Song, J., et al. Anti-obesity effects of the flower of prunus persica in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Nutrients. 11, 2176 (2019).
  11. Jung, C. H., Ahn, J., Jeon, T. -. I., Kim, T. W., Ha, T. Y. Syzygium aromaticum ethanol extract reduces high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice through downregulation of adipogenic and lipogenic gene expression. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 4 (3), 409-414 (2012).
  12. Said, O., Saad, B., Fulder, S., Khalil, K., Kassis, E. Weight Loss in Animals and Humans Treated with "Weigh level", a Combination of Four Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. , 874538 (2011).
  13. Anaya-Esparza, L. M., Ramos-Aguirre, D., Zamora-Gasga, V. M., Yahia, E., Montalvo-Gonzalez, E. Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from Justicia spicigera leaves. Food Science and Biotechnology. 27 (4), 1093-1102 (2018).
  14. Ayoub, R. M., et al. The effect of anthocyanin-rich purple vegetable diets on metabolic syndrome in obese Zucker. Journal of Medical Food. , (2017).
  15. Go, R., et al. Effects of anti-obesity drugs, phentermine and mahuang, on the behavioral patterns in Sprague-Dawley rat model. Laboratory of Animals Research. 30 (2), 73-78 (2014).
  16. Tan, P., Pepin, &. #. 2. 0. 1. ;., Lavoie, J. L. Mouse Adipose Tissue Collection and Processing for RNA analysis. Journal of Visualized Experiments. (13), e57026 (2018).
  17. Bjorndal, B., Burri, L., Staalesen, V., Skorve, J., Berge, R. K. Different adipose depots: Their role in the development of metabolic syndrome and mitochondrial response to hypolipidemic agents. Journal of Obesity. 2011, 490650 (2011).

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Anti obesitySyzygium AromaticumCuminum CyminumCloveCuminC57BL6 j MiceHigh fat DietMedicinal PlantsMetabolic DisordersPhytochemical ComponentsObesity TreatmentHerbal RemediesUltrasonic ExtractionExperimental ModelSynergy

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