Allium macrostemon whole extract ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress in adipose tissue of high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6N mice

Background: Obesity is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome and a serious health concern worldwide. Various strategies exist to treat and prevent obesity, including dietary approaches using bioactive ingredients from natural sources.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the anti-obesity effect of whole-plant Allium macrostemon (also called as long-stamen chive) extract (AME) as a potential new functional food.Design: C57BL/6N mice were divided into three groups and fed either a control diet (CD), high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD with AME treatment (200 mg/kg BW daily) for 9 weeks. The mice in the CD and HFD groups were treated with vehicle control. Results: AME supplementation reduced HFD-induced body weight gain, fat mass, and adipocyte size. AME suppressed peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and fatty acid synthase mRNA expression, indicating reduced adipogenesis and lipogenesis in adipose tissue. In addition, AME lowered inflammation in adipose tissue, as demonstrated by the lower number of crown-like structures, mRNA, and/or protein expression of macrophage filtration markers, as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines, including F4/80 and IL-6. Endoplasmic reticulum stress was also alleviated by AME administration in adipose tissue. Several phenolic acids known to have anti-obesity effects, including ellagic acid, protocatechuic acid, and catechin, have been identified in AME.Conclusion: By suppressing adipose tissue expansion and inflammation, AME is a potential functional food for the prevention and/or treatment of obesity and its complications.