Publication Date
2021
Journal or Book Title
Foods
Abstract
The present study investigated the synergic effect of extracts of Morus alba (MA) and Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) (AR) against high-fat diet induced obesity. Four-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups that were fed for 14 weeks with a normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HD), HD with M. alba 400 mg/kg body weight (MA), HD with A. melanocarpa 400 mg/kg body weight (AR), or HD with a mixture (1:1, v/v) of M. alba and A. melanocarpa (400 mg/kg) (MA + AR). Treatment with MA, AR, and MA + AR for 14 weeks reduced high fat diet-induced weight gain and improved serum lipid levels, and histological analysis revealed that MA and AR treatment markedly decreased lipid accumulation in the liver and adipocyte size in epididymal fat. Furthermore, micro-CT images showed MA + AR significantly reduced abdominal fat volume. Expression levels of genes involved in lipid anabolism, such as SREBP-1c, PPAR-gamma, CEBP alpha, FAS, and CD36 were decreased by MA + AR treatment whereas PPAR-alpha, ACOX1, and CPT-1a levels were increased by MA + AR treatment. Protein expression of p-AMPK and p-ACC were increased in the MA + AR group, indicating that MA + AR ameliorated obesity by upregulating AMPK signaling. Together, our findings indicate that MA and AR exert a synergistic effect against diet-induced obesity and are promising agents for managing obesity.
ORCID
KIM, Kyung-Ah/0000-0002-2611-3033
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081914
Volume
10
Issue
8
License
UMass Amherst Open Access Policy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Funder
Institute of Jinan Red Ginseng
Recommended Citation
Kim, Na-Yeon; Thomas, Shalom Sara; Hwang, Dae-Il; Lee, Ji-Hye; Kim, Kyung-Ah; and Cha, Youn-Soo, "Anti-Obesity Effects of Morus alba L. and Aronia melanocarpa in a High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese C57BL/6J Mouse Model" (2021). Foods. 238.
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10081914