Salacia oblonga ameliorates hypertriglyceridemia and excessive ectopic fat accumulation in laying hens

Salacia oblonga root (SOR) is an Ayurvedic medicine for obesity and diabetes, those are associated with glucose and lipid metabolism.

SOR has been demonstrated previously to improve glucose and lipid metabolism in animal models of obesity and diabetes and to be a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha activator. However, the anti-obesogenic and anti-diabetic mechanisms of SOR are still not largely understood. Here, we investigated the effects of SOR on lipid metabolism using laying hen, a unique animal model with a very high rate of triglyceride synthesis in the liver.

Laying hens and preadolescent pullets were treated with the layer ration containing 0%, 0.5%, or 1% SOR water extract for 4 weeks. Biochemical variables were determined enzymatically.

Laying hens showed much higher fasted triglyceride concentrations (increased by 5-13 folds) in plasma, liver, skeletal muscle and heart than pullets. 1% SOR extract treatment inhibited body weight increase without affecting food intake. Importantly, this treatment substantially attenuated hypertriglyceridemia and inhibited increases in triglyceride contents in the non-adipose tissues. However, SOR extract did not induce change in plasma glucose concentration. Moreover, SOR extract did not alter all variables in pullets.

These results demonstrate that SOR ameliorates hypertriglyceridemia and excessive ectopic fat accumulation in laying hens. These findings suggest that the triglyceride-lowering property is one of the primary effects of SOR, possibly via hepatic mechanisms.