Screening and mechanism based study for use of natural products for treating obesity

Abstract

Obesity, defined as excessive accumulation of fat in adipose tissue, has high newlineprevalence, and carries a several fold higher concomitant health risks for almost all newlinenon-communicable diseases. This makes it a particularly relevant worldwide public newlinehealth challenge. Preventive or therapeutic strategies to control human obesity newlineshould target the abnormalities associated with obesity. Almost all approved newlinemedications for long term use in the treatment of obesity result in harmful side newlineeffects. Due to the adverse side effects associated with many of the anti-obesity newlinedrugs, more recent drug trials have focused on screening herbal medicines that have newlinebeen reported to treat obesity and that generally are expected to have minimal side newlineeffects. Recent research has suggested that the gut microbiota is a potential newlinenutritional and pharmacological target in the management of obesity and obesity newlinerelated disorders. The present study was undertaken with an aim to investigate the newlineeffect of herbal powders on high fat diet induced obesity and to test the role of newlinemicrobiota, if any, in reducing the visceral fat deposition. In India, Triphala and its newlineconstituents have been traditionally administered as therapeutic agents for promoting newlinedigestion and satiety. newlineThe present study investigated the effects of triphala and its constituents (T. bellirica newline[bibhitaki/bahed], T. chebula [haritaki/harad], and E. officinalis [amalaki/amla]) newlineon the dietary induction of obesity (diet-induced obesity [DIO]), and other newlinesymptoms of visceral obesity syndrome, in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). newlineThe effect of these herbal powders was also studied in relation to change in newlinecomposition of gut microbiota. First step towards the present study was to estimate newlinethe toxicological effect of Amla, Harad and Bahed in normal Swiss albino mice. newlineThere were no observed clinical signs of toxicity or any other adverse effects. newlineEffect of triphala and its constituents on treating obesity was studied by two newlinedifferent approaches. In the first approach, treatment with the herbal.