ACE Reduces Metabolic Abnormalities in a High-Fat Diet Mouse Model

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Metabolic Disorders Research
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Traditional Korean and Chinese medicine utilize Artemisia iwayomogi and Curcuma longa radix for metabolic issues.
• High-fat diets induce metabolic syndrome, characterized by obesity, dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis.
• Existing treatments for metabolic syndrome have limitations, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a combined water extract of Artemisia iwayomogi and Curcuma longa (ACE) in a mouse model of high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome.
• To evaluate the impact of ACE on key metabolic parameters, including body weight, adipose tissue, serum lipids, glucose levels, hepatic steatosis, and oxidative stress.
• To analyze the effect of ACE on the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism.

Main Methods:

• Establishment of a high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome model in C57BL/6N male mice.
• Administration of ACE (100 or 200 mg/kg) or curcumin (50 mg/kg) to mice on a high-fat diet for 10 weeks.
• Comprehensive analysis of body weight, adipose tissue accumulation, adipocyte size, serum lipid profiles, liver histology, oxidative stress markers, and gene expression related to lipid synthesis.

Main Results:

• ACE administration significantly reduced body weight and peritoneal adipose tissue weight compared to the control group.
• ACE treatment led to significant improvements in serum lipid profiles, lowering total cholesterol and triglycerides.
• ACE effectively reduced hepatic steatosis, normalized glucose levels, and decreased oxidative stress markers, while also regulating key lipid synthesis genes (PPARγ, FAS, SREBP-1c, PPARα).

Conclusions:

• The water extract of Artemisia iwayomogi and Curcuma longa (ACE) demonstrates significant efficacy in ameliorating high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in a mouse model.
• ACE exhibits potential as a therapeutic agent for metabolic abnormalities by improving lipid metabolism, reducing obesity, and mitigating oxidative stress.
• Further research into ACE could lead to the development of novel pharmaceutical interventions for metabolic disorders.