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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Obesity | Research article

Helminthostachys zeylanica alleviates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in diet-induced obese mice

Authors: Ting-Chen Chang, Hao Chiang, Yu-Heng Lai, Yu-Ling Huang, Hsiu-Chen Huang, Yu-Chih Liang, Hui-Kang Liu, Cheng Huang

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Obesity and its associated health conditions, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are worldwide health problems. It has been shown that insulin resistance is associated with increased hepatic lipid and causes hepatic steatosis through a myriad of mechanisms, including inflammatory signaling.

Methods

Helminthostachys zeylanica (HZ) is used widely as a common herbal medicine to relieve fever symptoms and inflammatory diseases in Asia. In the present study, we evaluated whether HZ has therapeutic effects on obesity, NAFLD and insulin resistance. The protective effects of HZ extract were examined using free fatty acid-induced steatosis in human HuS-E/2 cells and a high-fat diet-induced NAFLD in mice.

Results

The major components of the HZ extract are ugonins J and K, confirmed by HPLC. Incubation of human hepatocytes, HuS-E/2 cells, with palmitate markedly increased lipid accumulation and treatment with the HZ extract significantly decreased lipid deposition and facilitated AMPK and ACC activation. After 12 weeks of a high-fat diet with HZ extract treatment, the HFD mice were protected from hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia. HZ extract prevented body weight gain, adipose tissue expansion and adipocyte hypertrophy in the HFD mice. In addition, fat accumulation was reduced in mice livers. Moreover, the insulin sensitivity-associated index, which evaluates insulin function, was also significantly restored.

Conclusions

These results suggest that HZ has a promising pharmacological effect on high-fat diet-induced obesity, hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, which may have the potential for clinical application.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Helminthostachys zeylanica alleviates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in diet-induced obese mice
Authors
Ting-Chen Chang
Hao Chiang
Yu-Heng Lai
Yu-Ling Huang
Hsiu-Chen Huang
Yu-Chih Liang
Hui-Kang Liu
Cheng Huang
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2782-3

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