THE BIOCHEMICAL EFFECT OF HERBAL TEA MIXTURE IN HIGH FAT DIET INDUCED OBESITY IN RATS

Abstract

Herbal medicine is a common alternative therapy employed in obesity. This study aims to investigate the biochemical effect of herbal tea mixture and its nano-formulation in the treatment of obesity in HFD-induced obese rats. The materials used were the tea mixture, consisting of white, green and Oolong teas, and its nano-formulation. Forty albino male rats are classified into eight groups, each group comprising of five rats were used. In order to induce obesity and initiate the treatment, the following design was followed: Group I: Control fed with normal feed pellets, Group II: High fat diet (HFD) and feed pellets fed for 13 weeks and 28 days, Group III: Stop Diet fed with HFD for 13 weeks, then of feed pellets only for 28 days, Group IV: HFD-fed for 13 weeks, afterwards, for twenty eight days tea mixture of 100 mg/kg was administered orally, Group V: HFD-fed for 13 weeks, afterwards, for twenty eight days tea Nano mixture of 100 mg/kg was administered orally, Group VI: HFD-fed for 13 weeks, afterwards, for twenty eight days tea mixture of 300 mg/kg was administered orally, Group VII: HFD-fed for 13 weeks, afterwards, for twenty eight days tea Nano mixture of 300 mg/kg was administered orally, Group VIII: HFD-fed for 13 weeks, afterwards, for twenty eight days orlistat of 200 mg/kg was administered orally. The results showed that the levels of TG, VLDL, and glucose in serum were significantly reduced in the treatment groups, while the serum levels of HDL, LDL TC, insulin, creatinine, ALT and AST showed no significant difference. The tea mixture treatment was proven to be more superior to the Orlistat in lowering serum TG and VLDL levels. In the ELISA analysis, serum leptin levels were decreased and serum adiponectin levels were increased in the treatment groups. In qRT-PCR analysis, the expression of Sirt1 and PPARγ genes was increased in the treatment groups, with a higher increase given by the nanoformulated mixture. Also, the expression of TNFα and ADD1/SREBP-1c was reduced in treatment groups, with a higher decrease given by nanoformulated mixture. These findings suggests that the tea mixture and its nanoformulation can treat obesity by inhibiting the pancreatic lipase, reduction in leptin and increase in adiponectin, regulation of genes, Sirt1 and PPARγ, that induce lipolysis, and decrease in SREBP-1c and TNFα, decreasing inflammation and adipogenesis.