leptin and gingerol

Liver fibrosis is a potentially harmful chronic liver disease caused by various etiologies. There is currently no specific drug for liver fibrosis. Xiaochaihu Tang (XCHT) is a traditional formula combined of seven herbs, which was first recorded in the Treatise on Febrile Diseases in Han Dynasty of ancient China. It is widely used in clinic to hepatic protection, analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory treatment. And it has been recommended for treating chronic hepatitis and chronic cholecystitis in the latest guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of liver fibrosis with integrated traditional and western medicine. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive.. This study aims to explore the therapeutic effects of XCHT on liver fibrosis and its underlying molecular mechanisms from the perspective of network pharmacology and experimental research.. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl. When treated with XCHT, liver fibrosis was alleviated in both mice models, showing as the improvement of liver function, the protection of hepatocytes, the inhibition of HSC activation and the reduction of hepatic collagen accumulation. 540 monomer components, 300 therapeutic targets, 109 signaling pathways, 246 GO biological processes, 77 GO cellular components, 107 GO molecular functions items and core targets were identified by network analysis. Then, 6-gingerol and baicalein were identified as the core components of anti-fibrosis effects of XCHT via leptin or Nrf2 signaling pathway. Furthermore, the experiment in vitro also validated the results.. Our study suggests XCHT could alleviate liver fibrosis through multi-targets and multi-pathways; 6-gingerol and baicalein are its core components which may play an important role via leptin or Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Topics: Animals; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Leptin; Liver Cirrhosis; Mice; Molecular Docking Simulation; Network Pharmacology; NF-E2-Related Factor 2

We investigated the effects of 6-gingerol on adiposity and obesity-induced inflammation by focusing on the regulation of adipogenesis and adipokines in white adipose tissue (WAT) of diet-induced obese mice. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) containing 0.05% 6-gingerol for 8 weeks. 6-Gingerol supplementation significantly reduced body weight, WAT mass, serum triglyceride, leptin and insulin levels, and HOMA-IR in HFD-fed mice. Additionally, the size of adipocytes in epididymal fat pads was reduced in HFD-fed mice by 6-gingerol supplementation. 6-Gingerol reduced the mRNA and protein levels of adipogenesis-related transcription factors, such as SREBP-1, PPARγ, and C/EBPα in WAT. Furthermore, 6-gingerol suppressed the expression of lipogenesis-related genes, such as fatty acid synthase and CD36 in WAT. Adiponectin expression was significantly increased, whereas inflammatory adipokines (leptin, resistin, TNF-α, MCP-1, and PAI-1) and the macrophage marker F4/80 were significantly reduced in the WAT of HFD-fed mice by 6-gingerol supplementation. In conclusion, 6-gingerol effectively contributed to the alleviation of adiposity and inflammation in WAT, which is associated with the regulation of adipokines in diet-induced obese mice.

Topics: Adipokines; Adipose Tissue; Adiposity; Animals; Diet, High-Fat; Inflammation; Leptin; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Obese; Obesity

Obesity represents a rapidly growing threat to the health of populations and diet intervention has been proposed as one of the strategies for weight loss. Ginger and its constituents have been used for their anti-flatulent, expectorant and appetising properties and they are reported to possess gastro-protective and cholesterol-lowering properties. The present study investigated the effects of gingerol on the changes in body weight, serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and lipid profile in plasma and liver as well as on the activity of amylase, lipase and leptin in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats.. HFD-induced obese rats were treated orally with gingerol (25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1) ) once daily for 30 days. A lorcaserin-treated group (10 mg kg(-1) ) was included for comparison. The levels of body weight, glucose, lipid profile and insulin, insulin resistance, leptin, amylase and lipase were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in HFD rats. Rats treated with gingerol and fed a HFD showed significantly (P < 0.05) decreased glucose level, body weight, leptin, insulin, amylase, lipase plasma and tissue lipids when compared to normal control. The effect at a dose of 75 mg kg(-1) of gingerol was more pronounced than that of the dose 25 mg kg(-1) and 50 mg kg(-1) . The lorcaserin-treated group also manifested similar effects to those of gingerol.. These findings suggested that ginger supplementation suppresses obesity induced by a high fat diet and it might be a promising adjuvant therapy for the treatment of obesity and its complications.

Topics: Amylases; Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; Blood Glucose; Catechols; Dietary Fats; Fatty Alcohols; Insulin; Leptin; Lipase; Lipids; Male; Molecular Structure; Obesity; Rats; Weight Loss

To determine the effects of a [6]-gingerol analogue (6G), a major chemical component of the ginger rhizome, and its stable analogue after digestion in simulated gastric fluid, aza-[6]-gingerol (A6G), on diet-induced body fat accumulation, we synthesized 6G and A6G. Mice were fed either a control regular rodent chow, a high-fat diet (HFD), or a HFD supplemented with 6G and A6G. Magnetic resonance imaging adiposity parameters of the 6G- and A6G-treated mice were compared with those of control mice. Supplementation with 6G and A6G significantly reduced body weight gain, fat accumulation, and circulating levels of insulin and leptin. The mRNA levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 in the liver were significantly lower in mice fed A6G than in HFD control mice. Our findings indicate that A6G, rather than 6G, enhances energy metabolism and reduces the extent of lipogenesis by downregulating SREBP-1c and its related molecules, which leads to the suppression of body fat accumulation.

Topics: Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase; Adiponectin; Adipose Tissue; Amides; Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Catechols; Dietary Fats; Energy Metabolism; Fatty Alcohols; Glucose Tolerance Test; Guaiacol; Insulin; Leptin; Lipogenesis; Liver; Male; Metabolic Syndrome; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; RNA, Messenger; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1