Acacia nilotica stem bark extract ameliorates obesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance in a rat model of high fat diet-induced obesity

Samar S Khalaf; Ola A Shalaby; Ahmed R Hassan; Mohamed K El-Kherbetawy; Eman T Mehanna

doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2023.03.005

Acacia nilotica stem bark extract ameliorates obesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance in a rat model of high fat diet-induced obesity

J Tradit Complement Med. 2023 Mar 8;13(4):397-407. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2023.03.005. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Authors

Samar S Khalaf¹, Ola A Shalaby², Ahmed R Hassan², Mohamed K El-Kherbetawy³, Eman T Mehanna⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt.
² Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Desert Research Center, El-Matariya, 11753, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt.

Abstract

Background and aim: Acacia nilotica (A. nilotica) is an imperative plant with many medicinal uses. The current study aimed to investigate the protective effects of the stem bark of A. nilotica and its fractions in a high fat diet (HFD) rat model.

Experimental procedure: Seventy-two male albino rats were randomly divided into 9 groups, 8 rats per each. Group 1 was the normal control and received standard balanced diet. All the remaining groups were fed HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity. Group 2 served as the HFD control group, group 3 received orlistat (5 mg/kg/day), groups 4 and 5 received total extract of A. nilotica stem bark (250 and 500 mg/kg). Groups 6 and 7 received A. nilotica ethyl acetate fraction (250 and 500 mg/kg), while groups 8 and 9 received butanol fraction (250 and 500 mg/kg).

Results and conclusion: Both doses of the ethyl acetate fraction of the stem bark of A. nilotica significantly decreased the body weight, blood glucose, lipid profile and improved insulin sensitivity. Levels of MDA, leptin and inflammatory cytokines were significantly decreased by the ethyl acetate fraction while adiponectin and HDL-C were significantly increased relative to the HFD control group. Both doses of the ethyl acetate fraction significantly abolished HDF induced oxidative stress and normalized the values of antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, metabolic profiling of the ethyl acetate fraction was performed by UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS. In conclusion, the ethyl acetate fraction of A. nilotica stem bark possessed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and insulin sensitizing properties in HFD rat model.

Keywords: A. nilotica; Inflammatory cytokines; Insulin resistance; Obesity; Oxidative stress.