Antiobesity Effects of Salvia plebeia R. Br. Extract in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

This study was designed to investigate the antiobesity effects of Salvia plebeia R. Br. ethanolic extracts (SPE) in mice fed high-fat diets (HFD). Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to four groups: normal diet (Chow), high-fat diet (HFD, 45% fat), HFD+SPE 200 (200 mg/kg b.w.), and HFD+SPE 400 (400 mg/kg b.w.). Extracts were administered orally every day for 8 weeks. Increases in body/fat weight and feed efficiency ratio were monitored in all mice. In addition, obesity resulting from feeding HFD to the mice was confirmed by the increase of glucose level, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein-c, leptin, and adiponectin in blood. The SPE-treated mice gained less body and mesenteric/subcutaneous adipose tissues weights and had lower TG, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, leptin, and glucose level in serum, compared to the HFD group. Moreover, histopathological examinations revealed that the size of adipocytes in liver and adipose tissue was significantly decreased by SPE, compared to the HFD group. The expression of adipogenesis transcription factors (e.g., peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein a) and lipogenesis-related target genes (adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein 2, lipoprotein lipase, fatty acid synthase, and sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1c) in HFD-induced obese mice was decreased by SPE treatment. These results suggest that SPE attenuates the fat accumulation in HFD-induced obese mice by suppressing the expressions of genes related to adipogenesis and lipogenesis activity. Therefore, SPE could be developed as a potential therapy for reduction of body weight and antiobesity intervention.