Improvement in high-fat diet-induced obesity and body fat accumulation by a Nelumbo nucifera leaf flavonoid-rich extract in mice

Abstract

Diets high in fat lead to excessive lipid accumulation in adipose tissue, which is a crucial factor in the development of obesity, hepatitis, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, we investigated the antiobesity effect of a flavonoid-enriched extract from Nelumbo nucifera leaf (NLFE) in vivo. C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity. NLFE reduced the body weight, body lipid accumulation, and activities of fatty acid synthase (FAS), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and glutamic pyruvic transaminase. NLFE also suppressed the expression of FAS, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and HMGCoA reductase and increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase in the liver. Taken together, we demonstrated that NLFE targets lipid-regulated enzymes and may be effective in attenuating body lipid accumulation and preventing obesity.