Anti-Obesity Effects of the Flower of Prunus persica in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Abstract

Prunus persica (L.) Batsch is a deciduous fruit tree cultivated worldwide. The flower of P. persica (PPF), commonly called the peach blossom, is currently consumed as a tea for weight loss in East Asia; however, its anti-obesity effects have yet to be demonstrated in vitro or in vivo. Since PPF is rich in phytochemicals with anti-obesity properties, we aimed to investigate the effects of PPF on obesity and its underlying mechanism using a diet-induced obesity model. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed either normal diet, high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD containing 0.2% or 0.6% PPF water extract for 8 weeks. PPF significantly reduced body weight, abdominal fat mass, serum glucose, alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, and liver and spleen weights compared to the HFD control group. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that PPF suppressed lipogenic gene expression, including stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 and -2 and fatty acid synthase, and up-regulated the fatty acid β-oxidation gene, carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1, in the liver. Our results suggest that PPF exerts anti-obesity effects in obese mice and these beneficial effects might be mediated through improved hepatic lipid metabolism by reducing lipogenesis and increasing fatty acid oxidation.

• Authors: Jungbin Song, Young-Sik Kim, Linae Kim, Hyo Jin Park, Donghun Lee, Hocheol Kim
• Journal: Nutrients (Nutrients) Vol. 11 Issue 9 (Sep 11 2019) ISSN: 2072-6643 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 31514294 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Anti-Obesity Agents
• Biomarkers
• Fatty Acids
• Plant Extracts

Topics

• Animals
• Anti-Obesity Agents (isolation & purification, pharmacology)
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Diet, High-Fat
• Disease Models, Animal
• Eating
• Fatty Acids (metabolism)
• Flowers (chemistry)
• Gene Expression Regulation
• Lipogenesis (drug effects, genetics)
• Liver (drug effects, enzymology)
• Male
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Obesity (blood, genetics, physiopathology, prevention & control)
• Organ Size
• Oxidation-Reduction
• Plant Extracts (isolation & purification, pharmacology)
• Prunus persica (chemistry)
• Weight Loss (drug effects)