Effect of Aqueous Terminalia sericea Leaf Extract on Visceral Obesity in Fructose-fed Wistar Rats

ABSTRACT

Terminalia sericea (T. sericea) leaf aqueous extracts were evaluated for their potential to protect against dietary fructose-induced metabolic derangements in rats in growing stage, mimicking children-fed diets containing fructose. Thirty, 21-days-old male Wistar rat pups were randomly allocated and administered in five treatment regimens: group I – plain gelatine cubes (PGC) + plain drinking water (PW), group II – PGC + 12% fructose solution (FS) as drinking fluid, group III – 100 mg Kg⁻¹ body mass fenofibrate in gelatine cube (FGC) + FS, group IV – 100 mg Kg⁻¹ body mass of T. sericea in gelatine cube (LGC) + FS, and group V – 400 mg Kg⁻¹ body mass of T. sericea in gelatine cube (HGC) + FS. After 12 weeks, the rats were subjected to oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Two days later, blood glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol concentrations were determined. The rats were then euthanized, and plasma harvested for insulin determination. Visceral and epididymal fat and empty carcass masses were determined. Dietary fructose (FS) increased triglyceride concentration, triglyceride-glucose index, and visceral fat. The high dose T. sericea extract lowered FS-induced visceral obesity by 25%.

Abbreviations: BM: Body mass; FGC: Fenofibrate in gelatine cube; FS: 12% fructose solution; HGC: High dose aqueous Terminalia sericea leaf extract in gelatine cube; HED: human equivalent dose; HOMA-IR: Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; LGC: Low dose aqueous Terminalia sericea leaf extract in gelatine cube; MetS: Metabolic syndrome; OGTT: Oral glucose tolerance test; PGC: Plain gelatine cube; PW: Plain drinking water; TLr: Relative to tibia length; TyG: Triglyceride-glucose index

KEYWORDS:

• Hypertriglyceridemia
• triglyceride-glucose index
• fenofibrate

Acknowledgments

Mrs. Margaret Badenhorst, Ms. Maphoko Masemola, and Mr. Mhlengi Magubane and the Central Animal Services staff are acknowledged for their technical input. The Faculty of Health Sciences, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, and the National Research Foundation are thanked for funding the study.

Author(s) declaration

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand [N/A]; National Research Foundation (South Africa) [N/A]; The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust [N/A].