1.Anti-Obesity Effect of Methanolic Extracts of Local Punica granatum in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Rats
Nuruljannah Alhany Abdul Halim ; CF Karim ; Imtiaz K. Mohammed ; Ismail Rozila ; Mahani Mahadi ; Zauyah Yusuf ; Shazreen Shaharuddin ; Shamima Abdul Rahman
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023;19(No.2):228-235
Introduction: Obesity has been linked to coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, and
cancer. Pomegranate (Punica granatum; PG) has been used extensively in folk medicine for several therapeutic purposes. The goal of this study is to investigate the anti-obesity effect of PG peel and pulp methanolic extracts in highfat diet (HFD)-induced Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: The animals were separated into 7 groups namely Normal
control group (normal diet); HFD-induced only as negative control group, and positive control group (HFD-induced
+ orlistat); treatment group included HFD-induced + peel 125 mg/kg, HFD-induced +peel 250 mg/kg, HFD-induced
+ pulp 125 mg/kg and HFD-induced + pulp 250 mg/kg. Results: It was observed that methanolic extract of peel and
pulp PG 250 mg/kg showed low increment of body weight with a reduction in weight of liver, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat. Compared to the negative control group, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein
levels were shown to be lowered for PG peel and pulp groups also showed higher values in high-density lipoprotein.
Conclusion: PG reduced obesity-related markers in blood, liver, and adipose tissue and inhibited obesity caused by
a high-fat diet probably because of its antioxidant properties.