Methoxychalcones: a promising therapeutic agent for obesity management

Obesity is a major health concern, leading to diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and certain cancers, significantly reducing life quality and increasing mortality. While various treatments exist, new strategies are continuously explored. Polymethoxyflavones and their precursors, chalcones, are bioactive compounds with potential anti-obesity effects. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of methoxychalcone compounds in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. We selected 1-(2,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl),3-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one for in vivo testing due to its low cytotoxicity and high in vitro lipase inhibitory activity. Obese rats received 10 mg/kg or 40 mg/kg body weight/day of the compound for 8 weeks. Both doses significantly reduced body weight, serum LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and IL-1β levels. Conversely, HDL and adiponectin levels increased. Histopathological analysis showed improvements in liver and kidney tissues of treated rats. These findings suggest that our test compound could ameliorate obesity complications and serve as a potential therapeutic agent. Further pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical studies are needed to confirm its utility.