ABSTRACT
Estrogen deficiency-induced obesity has a high risk of visceral fat accumulation and body weight gain. It is also associated with many adverse health conditions. Taheebo extract from Tabebuia avellanedae has been recognized as playing several biological and pharmacological roles. Therefore, we investigated whether the intake of n-BuOH extract of Taheebo shows anti-obesity effect in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. After 16 weeks of feeding, the mice administrated with 0.5% n-BuOH extract of Taheebo showed significantly decreased body weight compared with that of the control mice, and the fat mass also showed a significant decrease. In 3T3-L1 cells, supplementation with n-BuOH extract of Taheebo significantly reduced the triglyceride (TG) levels. Furthermore, bioassay-guided purification of the n-BuOH extract based on the TG levels in 3T3-L1 cells led to the isolation of compound 2 (1-dehydroxy-3,4-dihydroaucubigenin). These results suggested that the anti-obesity effect of Taheebo extract is due to its capability in preventing the accumulation of adipocyte in mice. Taheebo extract might be a promising functional food resources capable of protecting against OVX-induced obesity.
Subject(s)
Anti-Obesity Agents/therapeutic use , Obesity/drug therapy , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Tabebuia/chemistry , 1-Butanol/chemistry , 3T3-L1 Cells , Animals , Anti-Obesity Agents/pharmacology , Body Weight/drug effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , Feces/chemistry , Female , Liver/drug effects , Liver/metabolism , Mice , Obesity/blood , Organ Size/drug effects , Ovariectomy , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Triglycerides/metabolismABSTRACT
The need for a preventive agent against dementia led us to screen natural plant resources. Among the herbs and spices tested, turmeric, from rhizomes of Curcuma longa, showed high potency against ß-secretase. The active principles were determined as α-turmerone, ß-turmerone and ar-turmerone, with IC(50) values of 39, 62 and 92 µM respectively. In this study, the efficiency of collecting the essential oil using steam distillation of the volatile substance was disclosed The active principles were explored, and four sesquiterpenoids and five monoterpenoids were revealed as active principles against ß-secretase; On the other hand, α-turmerone, ß-turmerone and ar-turmerone were also investigated in a pharmacokinetic absorption experiment. After oral administration, these compounds were detected in an intact form in the brain and serum. These results suggest that consumption of-turieric constituents may prevent dementia.