Many studies have reported that flavonoids can effectively suppress metabolic diseases related to obesity. Santa Herba extract (SHE), which is rich in flavonoids, has shown potential anti-obesity effects through clinical evaluations, but its anti-obesity mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, an obese mouse model was established to further investigate its underlying mechanisms and biological effects. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks to induce obesity and subsequently treated for 12 weeks with Orlistat (30 mg/kg) or SHE (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg). Body weight, food intake, fat mass (DEXA), serum biochemistry, histological changes, and gene/protein expression in liver and adipose tissue were analyzed. SHE200 reduced body weight by approximately 10%, fat mass by 15%, liver weight by nearly 40%, and epididymal adipocyte size by about 24% compared to the HFD group. Serum HDL was increased by approximately 1.2-fold, while LDL, ALT, and AST levels were reduced to 0.8-, 0.5-, and 0.6-fold of HFD levels, respectively. Leptin levels were also reduced to 0.6-fold of HFD levels, reflecting improvements in hormonal balance. In adipose tissue, FAS and ACC were reduced to approximately 0.6-fold of HFD levels, while key adipogenic transcription factors SREBP1c, CEBPα, and PPARγ were decreased to 0.5-, 0.6-, and 0.3-fold, respectively. PGC1α and CPT1α expression were modulated by SHE treatment, showing a 1.9-fold increase and 0.4-fold reduction, respectively. In liver tissue, similar reductions were observed, with FAS and ACC downregulated to 0.6- and 0.7-fold, and SREBP1c, CEBPα, and PPARγ suppressed to 0.4-, 0.5-, and 0.3-fold, respectively. Notably, PGC1α expression increased by approximately 2.2-fold, while CPT1α was reduced to about 0.5-fold. The findings underscore the potential of SHE as a natural, multi-targeted therapeutic agent for managing obesity and associated metabolic disorders.
Keywords: body weight; caloric intake; flavonoids; homoeriodictyol; lipid accumulation; metabolic regulation.
© 2025 The Author(s). Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.