Antioxidant and hepatic protective effects of lotus root hot water extract with taurine supplementation in rats fed a high fat diet

Abstract

Background: Nelumbo nucifera, known as sacred lotus, is a well-known medicinal plant and this lotus root is commonly used as food compared to different parts of this plant. This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant and hepatic protective effects of lotus root hot water extract with taurine supplementation in high fat diet-induced obese rats.

Methods: Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats (4-week-old) were randomly divided into four groups (n=8) for 6 weeks (normal diet, N group; high fat diet, HF group; high fat diet + lotus root hot water extract, HFR group; high fat diet + lotus root hot water extract + taurine, HFRT group). Lotus root hot water extract was orally administrated (400 mg/kg/day) to HFR and HFRT groups and the same amount of distilled water was orally administered to N and HF groups. Taurine was supplemented by dissolving in feed water (3% w/v).

Results: The activities of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase in serum were lower in HFR and HFRT groups compared to HF group. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance contents in all groups fed a high fat diet were higher compared to N group. The activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes were higher in HFR and HFRT groups compared to HF group.

Conclusions: These results suggest that lotus root hot water extract with taurine supplementation shows antioxidant and hepatic protective effects in high fat diet-induced obese rats.

Figure 1

Light micrographs of hepatocytes in rats fed a normal rats’ diet or a high fat rats’ diet with supplementation of lotus root hot water extract or lotus root hot water extract and taurine. Magnification × 100. The photograph exhibited that formation of lipid droplets was suppressed in the HFR and HFRT groups, whereas rats in the HF group showed noticeable fatty liver. N, normal diet group; HF, high fat diet group; HFR, high fat diet + lotus root hot water extract group; HFRT, high fat diet + lotus root hot water extract + taurine group.