Antiobesity Activity of <i>Bauhinia purpurea</i> Extract: Effect on Hormones and Lipid Profile in High Calorie Diet Induced Obese Rats

Abstract

Obesity is well recognized as a global public health concern and the quest continues to explore natural product-based novel therapeutics. Bauhinia purpurea finds its place in traditional medicine as an effective anti-ulcer, antiplatelet, wound healing and hypolipidemic agent. The present study investigated the effects of ethanolic extract of Bauhinia purpurea (EEB) on the changes in body weight, lean mass, fat free mass, fat percent, tissue and plasma lipid profiles, plasma glucose, insulin and insulin resistance as well as on the activity of amylase, lipase, leptin and adiponectin levels in high caloric diet (HCD) induced obese rats. After induction of obesity with HCD, rats were administered orally with EEB (100, 200 and 300 mg · kg -1 BW) or orlistat (5 mg · kg -1 BW) once daily for 42 days. HCD substantially increased the body weight, fat free mass, fat percent, glucose, insulin resistance, tissue and plasma lipid profiles (Except HDL), leptin and the activities of amylase and lipase. EEB at a dose of 300 mg · kg -1 BW exerted its therapeutic effects similar to orlistat in decreasing body weight, insulin resistance, levels of glucose, leptin, plasma and tissue lipids, lipase and amylase but increasing HDL and adiponectin in HCD fed obese rats, which could be due to bioactive factors present in EEB, as revealed by LC-MS analysis. These findings suggest that EEB administration suppresses high-caloric-diet-induced obesity and it can be developed as a potential candidate for the treatment of obesity and associated complications.