Antiobesity Effect of Citrus Aurantium (Bitter Orange) on Wistar Albino Rat Fed with Formulated Fatty Diet

Abstract

Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) is a plant belonging to the family Rutaceae. It is rich in vitamin C, flavonoids and volatile oil. Medical risk rises progressively with increasing obesity beginning with overweight. More than 80% of death estimates associated with obesity occurs with patients with BMI of at least 30kg/m2. This research is aimed at evaluating the anti-obesity effect of Citrus aurantium on wistar albino rats fed with formulated fatty diet. Twenty five albino rats were divided into 5 groups of five (5) rats each. Group 1 received growers mash and normal saline, group 2 received formulated diet and normal saline, group 3 received formulated diet and 500mg/kg body weight of C. aurantium extract once per day, group 4 received formulated diet and 1000mg/kg body weight of C. aurantium extract once per day, groups 5 formulated diet and 1000mg/kg body weight of niacin once per day for twenty five (25) days. There were significant decreases in the concentration levels of cholesterol (128.15±4.3, 108.12±7.9), triglyceride (40.05±14.0, 21.91±2.2) and LDL (69.95±7.4, 39.1±14) in a dose dependant manner in rats in groups 3 and 4 respectively when compared with the negative control. Glucose concentration level in group 4 (46.67±1.1) decreased significantly when compared with the negative control. There was constant decrease of weight of rats in groups 3,4 and 5 on day(s) 8, 16 and 24 but was not significant except in day 24 of group5 (130.94±23.12) when compared with day 1 (181.47±23.34). This shows that extract of Citrus aurantium confers hypoglycaemic, hypocholesterolemic and hypolipidemic effects to the treated rats.