Ameliorative potentials of ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia on some biochemical and physiological parameters in high-fat diet-induced obese Wistar rats

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> This study investigated the effect of ethanol extract of <italic>A. cordifolia</italic> leaves on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and its associated metabolic abnormalities in rats. Thirty male rats were randomly divided into five groups (Six rats each)- Normal control, Obese control, Orlistat group, <italic>A.cordifolia</italic> groups (500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight). Dietary intake, anthropometric indices, lipid profile, atherogenic indices, blood glucose, hepatic and cardiac function, HMG CoA reductase activity and antioxidative properties were investigated. Intake of HFD led to significant increases in bodyweight, BMI, Lee's index, waist-circumference, liver, adipose tissue, heart weight and lipids, T.cholesterol, triglycerides, atherogenic index, and LDL-c, while decreasing HDL-c. Additionally, HFD consumption increased fasting and serum blood glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, amylase, and lipase activity, while SOD, GPx, and GSH levels were reduced, and MDA increased. Moreover, HFD increased ALT, ALP, AST, LDH and creatine kinase levels. Furthermore, HMG-CoA reductase activity decreased, and histological analysis revealed inflammation, fat accumulation, and distortion in adipose tissue architecture in the liver and adipose tissue of obese rats. <italic>A.cordifolia</italic> supplementation effectively reversed HFD-induced alterations, demonstrating weight-reducing, anti-hyperlipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, <italic>A.cordifolia</italic> possesses anti-obesity potential and may be used as a possible therapeutic alternative for obesity and its associated pathologies.