Anti-Obesity Effect of Allium hookeri Leaf Extract in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Allium hookeri has been widely cultivated and used as a vegetable and medicine in Asia, but its anti-obesity effects have not been previously reported. In this study, the effects of a leaf extract of A. hookeri on obesity were investigated by administering a high-fat diet (HFD) to mice. Male Institute of Cancer Research mice (n = 32; 5 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups: normal-diet group, HFD group, HFD containing 200 mg/kg/day A. hookeri leaf extract (HFD-A1), and HFD containing 400 mg/kg/day A. hookeri leaf extract (HFD-A2). A. hookeri leaf extract was orally administered daily for 4 weeks. We found that the body weight gain and organ tissue weights of mice in the HFD-A1 and HFD-A2 groups were significantly lower compared with those of mice in the HFD group. Administration of A. hookeri leaf extract also significantly decreased the size of the epididymal adipose tissue (AT). Serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the atherogenic index were significantly lower in the HFD-A1 and HFD-A2 groups than in the HFD group. The TG and total cholesterol levels in the hepatic, epididymal, and mesenteric ATs of the HFD-A2 group were significantly lower than the levels in the HFD group. In addition, mRNA levels of liver fatty acid synthase and lipoprotein lipase were decreased in the A. hookeri leaf extract groups compared with those of the HFD group. These results demonstrate that intake of A. hookeri leaf may have beneficial effects for suppressing obesity-related disease.