Vitis thunbergii root, widely used as folk medicine in Taiwan, has been found to contain polyphenolic compounds and resveratrol derivatives, which have been implicated in the prevention and treatment of obesity. Thus, we hypothesized it might show beneficial effects against obesity. C57BL/6JNarl mice fed with a high fat diet for 14 weeks increased body weight and epididymal fat pad weight, and accompanied by fatty liver, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, hyperleptinemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyper-LDL-cholesterol, and high level of serum GPT, GOT, creatinine, and BUN. Supplementation of VTE in the last 7 weeks remarkably decreased body weight and epididymal fat pad weight, implying a potential anti-obesity effect. Mechanistic study showed that VTE supplementation increased energy expenditure-related CPT1 mRNA expression and AMPK phosphorylation, and decreased lipogenesis-related SREBP-1 expression in liver. In conclusion, Vitis thunbergii roots could alleviate high fat diet-induced obesity and its related complications by enhancing hepatic fatty acid oxidation and inhibitng lipogenesis.
Keywords: Vitis thunbergii; mouse; obesity.