Effects of Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract on Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease resulting from excessive fat accumulation and/or abnormal distribution caused by multiple factors. As a major component of metabolic syndrome, obesity is closely related to many diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. Hence, the problem of obesity cannot be ignored, and recent studies have shown that grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) has an antiobesity effect. This paper systematically reviews the research progress and potential mechanism of GSPE emphasizing on obesity prevention and treatment.

Keywords: Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract; Mechanism; Obesity.

Fig. 1

Structure of flavane-3-­alcohol, procyanidin dimer and procyanidin trimer.

Fig. 2

The mechanism of GSPE on obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD). Chronic GSPE supplementation significantly changed the composition of the intestinal flora, i.e. the number of thick-walled bacteria (as shown in the gray bacterium) decreased, while the number of bacteria (red bacterium) and bifidobacteria (green bacterium) increased. The change of the microbial community is related to the increase in butyrate production. Butyrate further increased the secretion of GLP-1 in intestinal L cells and ultimately enhanced metabolic function to prevent obesity.

Fig. 3

The main influence formula of the energy balance framework on appetite control. Green arrows indicate the process of stimulating feeding, while red arrows indicate the process of inhibiting feeding [98]. GSPE increases the secretion of gastrointestinal hormones that inhibit feeding, such as glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), cholecystokinin (CCK) and ghrelin.

Fig. 4

GSPE regulates the relationship between biological clock and metabolism. GSPE inhibits the interference of the liver and intestine with the peripheral clock and improves the disturbance of the biological clock.