leptin and puerarin

Postmenopausal diabetes is exacerbated by estrogen deficiency. Ovariectomized (OVX) animal models can be used to develop strategies for preventing or treating postmenopausal symptoms. We previously found that a diet containing kudzu (Pueraria lobata) vine ethanol extract (PVEE) suppressed weight gain in OVX mice. Therefore, this study further elucidated how PVEE affected OVX mice. Ten-week-old OVX or sham-operated mice were fed diets containing either no PVEE (control) or 20 mg•kg

Topics: Adiponectin; Adipose Tissue; Animals; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Cholesterol, HDL; Cholesterol, LDL; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Hypoglycemic Agents; Insulin; Isoflavones; Leptin; Mice; Organ Size; Ovariectomy; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Postmenopause; Pueraria; Triglycerides; Uterus; Weight Gain

The link between obesity and insulin resistance largely accounts for the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus, in which adipokine expression plays a key role. Puerarin, a major active isoflavone extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Radix Puerariae, has been studied for its comprehensive biological actions. However, its effect on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance and adipokine expression in rat has not been well investigated. In the present study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed on a normal control diet (NCD) or HFD for 6 weeks, followed by administration of puerarin (100 and 200 mg/kg) for up to 8 weeks. Compared to NCD, HFD feeding for 6 weeks led to increased body weight gain and impaired glucose/insulin tolerance manifested by oral glucose/intraperitoneal insulin tolerance tests in rats. These exacerbations prolonged through HFD feeding, but were effectively reversed by puerarin administration. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated that, serum levels of leptin and resistin, but not that of adiponectin, were markedly augmented by HFD and retarded by puerarin treatment. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results showed that, in agreement with the circulating levels, mRNA expression of leptin and resistin in epididymal white adipose tissue was modified by HFD and improved by puerarin in the same pattern. Collectively, we revealed that puerarin could improve body weight gain, glucose/insulin intolerance and adipokine expression in HFD-induced insulin resistant rats, indicating its potential value for treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Topics: Adipokines; Adiponectin; Adipose Tissue, White; Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; Dietary Fats; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Glucose Intolerance; Insulin Resistance; Isoflavones; Leptin; Male; Metabolic Syndrome; Obesity; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Resistin; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger

In order to investigate the mechanism of the therapeutic effect of puerarin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a non-alcoholic fatty disease male rat model was induced by a high fat diet, all rats were randomly divided into a blank group, model group, simavastatin group and puerarin group. After 4 weeks of drug treatment, the liver was slided to investigate pathological morphology. Elisa was used to measure the total cholesterol (TC), triglyeride (TG) in liver, and leptin content in serum. RT-PCR and Western blotting were employed to detect liver leptin mRNA receptor expression and P-JAK2, P-STAT3 expression levels in the liver respectively. The results showed that puerarin significantly decreased the TG, TC content in liver of the non-alcoholic fatty disease rats, ameliorated steatosis in liver, lowered liver inflammatory reaction, decreased leptin level in serum, and enhanced the expression of leptin receptor mRNA and P-JAK2/P-STAT3 level. All the results demonstrated that puerarin can exhibit therapeutic effect on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by improving leptin signal transduction through JAK2/STAT3 pathways.

Topics: Animals; Cholesterol; Dietary Fats; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fatty Liver; Inflammation; Isoflavones; Janus Kinase 2; Leptin; Lipid Metabolism; Liver; Male; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Pueraria; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Leptin; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Simvastatin; STAT3 Transcription Factor; Triglycerides