The wide morbidity of
obesity has heightened interest in providing natural and safe compounds to maintain optimal health. The present study was designed to determine the chemical constituents and the effects of
methanol leaf extract from Erica multiflora (M-EML) on mitigating high-fat and high-
fructose diet (HFFD)-induced
metabolic syndrome (MS). LC-MS/MS characterization of M-EML allowed the identification of 14 secondary metabolites and showed that
quercetin-3-O-glucoside and
kaempferol-3-O-glucoside were the main compounds of our extract. In the in vivo study, the
oral administration of M-EML (250 mg/kg) during the last 4 weeks of the experimentation alleviated HFFD-induced
obesity,
insulin resistance (IR) and
cardiovascular diseases. Thus, M-EML treatment significantly normalized body and liver weight, allowed to a sharp decline in plasma levels of TC, TG and
LDL-c by 32%, 35% and 66%, respectively. Moreover, hepatic
enzymes, total and direct
bilirubin,
lipase and
uric acid levels have been diminished in treated group. Histopathology of the liver confirmed the changes induced by HFFD and the hepatoprotective effect of M-EML. The supply of M-EML reduced NO production and cellular lysosomal
enzyme activity by 44% and 60%, respectively compared to HFFD. Besides, M-EML showed decreased pro-inflammatory
cytokines levels (259.5±47.35 pg/ml and 56.08±1.56 pg/ml) of TNF-α and
IL-6, respectively. In addition, M-EML reduced liver
malondialdehyde (MDA) content and enhanced
superoxide dismutase (SOD),
catalase (CAT) and
glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. In contrast, these enzymatic activities have been disrupted in HFFD rats. Overall, M-EML prevented
obesity through the modulation of
metabolic syndrome, reducing
inflammation and promoting
antioxidant enzymes activities.