Abstract
Obesity is a metabolic disease characterized by an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. We have previously reported that compounds isolated from brown alga, Sargassum thunbergii (ST; Sargassum thunbergii (Mertens ex Roth) Kuntze), inhibit adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. However, the in vivo anti-obesity effects of these compounds have not been previously reported. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of ST on weight loss, fat accumulation, as well as risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. ST treatment significantly decreased body weight and fat accumulation in HFD-induced obese mice, while reducing insulin and factors related to cardiovascular diseases (triglyceride and total cholesterol) in serum. ST-induced downregulation of PPARγ in white adipose tissue, and upregulation of the thermogenic genes, UCP-1 and UCP-3, in brown adipose tissue was also observed. In addition, oral administration of ST reduced the occurrence of fatty liver, as well as the amount of white adipose tissue in HFD mice. Cumulatively, these results suggest that ST exerts anti-obesity effects and may serve as a potential anti-obesity therapeutic agent.
Highlights
The number of obese individuals increased by more than three-fold between 1980 and 2014 with more than 600 million people considered to be obese [1,2]
Considering that G. cambogia extract and orlistat have reportedly beneficial anti-obesity effects [20,21], they were used as positive controls in the current study
These results indicate that Sargassum thunbergii (ST) treatment may be capable of improving metabolic disorders, control group reduced the triglyceride and total cholesterol (TC) levels in the serum compared such as cardiovascular disease and type to the high-fat diet (HFD) group
Summary
The number of obese individuals increased by more than three-fold between 1980 and 2014 with more than 600 million people considered to be obese [1,2]. Obesity is characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat and is considered a risk factor for chronic diseases and metabolic syndromes, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease [3]. Used synthetic anti-obesity drugs, including orlistat and sibutramine, elicit certain adverse effects, including insomnia, dry mouth, dizziness, palpitations, hand tremors and elevated blood pressure [4]. A need, exists for the development of novel, safe, and effective anti-obesity agents. To this end, many studies have focused on identifying natural substances capable of eliciting anti-obesity. Various natural compounds have recently been reported to induce anti-obesity effects via inhibition of fat accumulation and adipogenesis [5,6,7]
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