Obesity is considered as a chronic disease that can induce a series of comorbidities and complications. Chinese medicine has long clinical experiences in the treatment of obesity. This review summarizes the natural products from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that are reported to have anti-obesity effects in the past two decades. Botanic TCM comprises 90% of total Chinese crude drugs, and generally contains various active ingredients, in which the effective anti-obesity ingredients identified can be divided into saponins, polysaccharides, alkaloids, polyphenols and others. Astragaloside IV, glycyrrhizin, macrostemonoside A, berberine, betaine, capsaicin, matrine, methyl piperate, piperine, rutaecarpine, asimilobine, epigallocatechingallate, magnolol, resveratrol, soybean-isoflavone, α-linolenic acid, emodin, geniposide, phillyrin, salidroside and ursolic acid are specified in this review, and their sources, models, efficacy are described. It is concluded that the mechanisms of these components for the treatment of obesity include: (i) suppression of appetite, increase of satiety, reduction of energy intake; (ii) reduction in the digestion and absorption of exogenous lipid; (iii) attenuation of the synthesis of endogenous lipid; (iv) promotion of the oxidation and expenditure of lipid and (v) improvement of lipid metabolism disorder. Authors believe that the effective compounds from TCM will provide an alternative and hopeful way for the treatment of obesity.

Active ingredients from natural botanicals in the treatment of obesity

The pharmacological effect of polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes on the oxidative status and expression of VCAM-1mRNA of thoracic aorta endothelial cell in high-fat-diet rats

Two hundred and forty 1-d-old Arbor Acre female broilers were used to study the effects of alfalfa flavonoids (AF) on broiler performance, meat quality, and gene expression. Chicken were fed with b...

Effects of alfalfa flavonoids on broiler performance, meat quality, and gene expression

Lentinus edodes is a culinary-medicinal mushroom that has an established history of use in Asian therapies. The mushroom offers well-documented beneficial health effects such as antihypercholesterolemic, antitumor, and antibacterial activities. In this study, dried powder of L. edodes fruiting bodies was used to evaluate immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and antioxidant effects in hypercholesterolemic rats. Albino rats (n = 24) were divided into 3 groups: the control (CON) group, the hypercholesterolemia-only group (HCG), and the L. edodes group (LEG). Hypercholesterolemia was induced in rats in the HCG and LEG by feeding cholesterol and cholic acid in a chow maintenance diet (CMD) for 24 days. The CON group was fed the CMD throughout the experiment. The HCG continued on the high-cholesterol diet without any L. edodes supplement. The LEG was fed the high-cholesterol diet supplemented with L. edodes for an additional 42 days. Various biological health biomarkers, such as total antioxidant capacity, total oxidant status, arylesterase, paraoxonase activity, and liver enzymes in serum were studied to evaluate antioxidant and hepatoprotective responses. Cell-mediated immunity was evaluated in each group through a delayed type of hypersensitivity reaction. The total oxidant status decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) after administration of L. edodes in the diet. The cell-mediated immune response significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) in the LEG. The significant decrease in liver enzymes supports the hepatoprotective effect of L. edodes. In conclusion, the results show the immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and antioxidant activities of L. edodes supplementation in hypercholesterolemic rats.

Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes): A Species with Antioxidant, Immunomodulatory, and Hepatoprotective Activities in Hypercholesterolemic Rats.

The crude polysaccharides from Armillaria mellea were obtained with an ultrasound assisted enzymatic extraction and ethanol precipitation. Two polysaccharide fractions were obtained by ethanol precipitation, which were named AMP-1 and AMP-2. The results of the monosaccharide composition analysis indicated that AMP-1 was composed of mannose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, arabinose and fucose and that AMP-2 was composed of mannose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose and fucose. Glucose and galactose were the main monosaccharide fractions. The protein and nucleic acid contents in AMP-1 and AMP-2 were detected by using ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. The bile salt-binding capacities of the polysaccharide samples were studied in vitro. In comparison with lentinan (LP), AMP-1 and AMP-2 showed increased bile salt-binding capacity. AMP-1 showed the highest binding capacity against all the bile salts. The findings presented in this study highlight the potential of the A. mellea polysaccharides as a natural hypolipidaemic agent.

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Purification, characterization and in vitro bile salt-binding capacity of polysaccharides from Armillaria mellea mushroom

Objective: To investigate the effect of lentinan (LNT) on reducing blood lipid of hyperlipidemia rats and its mechanisms according to the traditional Chinese medicine principle called“the same source of medicine and food”. Methods: Male SD strains rats were divided into low dose group, high dose group, hyperlipidemia contrast group, masculine contrast group and normal contrast group respectively. The normal contrast group was fed with normal diet and other 4 group with high-lipid diet. The low dose group and high dose group were fed with lentinan at the dosages of 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg respectively, the masculine group with lovastatin at the dosages of 10mg/kg,and the hyperlipidemia contrast group and normal contrast group were fed with the same volume of NS.The experiment lasted 60 days. The fast blood cholesterol (TC), low-density cholesterol (LDL-C),high-density cholesterol (HDL-C) as well as HDL3-C, HDL2-C and activities of LCAT, LPL and HL were tested. Results: The TC level of low dose group and high dose group were obviously reduced( P 0.05), the level of HDL-C, HDL2-C as well as two ratios of HDL-C/TC and HDL-C/LDL/C improved ( P 0.05), while level of LDL-C had no significantly change ( P 0.05). The activities of LCATadd LPL in hyperlipidemia rats were lower than those in normal rats ( P 0.05). After using lentinan, theactivities of LCAT add LPL in Hyperlipidemia rats were much improved ( P 0.05). Conclusion:Lentinan can significantly reduce the blood total cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemia rats. The functionmay be related to improve the activities of LCAT and LPL and increase the level of HDL-C.

Wang Huiming

Papers

Research of Lentinan's Ettect on Blood Lipid and Its Mechanisms