Benjakul supplementation improves hepatic fat metabolism in high-fat diet-induced obese rats

Abstract

© Pharmacotherapy Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City, 300001 Nigeria. Purpose: To evaluate the effects of Benjakul water extract (BWE) supplementation for the prevention of hepatic fat metabolic dysfunction in a rat obesity model induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods: Forty male outbred Sprague-Dawley rats were separated into six groups according to diet composition and treatment: control, HFD, and HFD supplemented with Benjakul extraction at low and high dose (41.3 and 413 mg/kg/day, respectively). After 4 weeks, blood biochemical parameters (i.e., hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) enzyme and liver histological features) were examined. Subsequently, hepatic gene expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) were investigated. Results: Low and high doses of BWE showed significant prevention of abdominal fat accumulation (p < 0.05) and inhibited hypercholesterolemia without restoring triglyceride (TG) and lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in serum compared to rats fed HFD alone. BWE hindered hepatic fat accumulation via suppression of SREBP-1 expression and HMGCR activity in HFD-induced obese rats, while significantly promoting NF-kB down regulation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: BWE may be a novel prophylactic strategy for preventing metabolic syndrome and to protect against steatosis due to its regulatory effects on lipid homeostasis.