Chrysobalanus icaco L. Leaves Normalizes Insulin Sensitivity and Blood Glucose and Inhibits Weight Gain in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Chrysobalanus icaco L. is a medicinal plant present in the Brazilian coastline and known for its hypoglicemic and antioxidant properties. Here, we assessed the beneficial metabolic effects of the aqueous extract of C. icaco (AECI) leaves in diet-induced obese mice. Swiss mice were fed standard chow (SC used as controls) or high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity. After 10 weeks, mice on each diet were divided into two groups with one group used as control while the other group treated with AECI for 4 weeks resulting in four groups of mice: SC; SC treated with AECI (SC + AECI); HFD; and HFD treated with AECI (HFD + AECI). AECI was administered drinking water at about 200mg/kg. AECI was able to normalize insulin (13,682 +/- 1090 vs. 9828 +/- 485 AU, P<.05) and fasting blood glucose (192.8 +/- 14.2 vs. 132.3 +/- 6.4mg/dL, P<.05) and inhibit weight gain (39 +/- 5.7%) and fat storage in liver (72.60 +/- 3.83%, P<.0001), despite the high-fat intake. These findings reinforce the use of AECI in hyperglycemia and highlight the potential extract's effect in preventing weight gain and fat accumulation in liver of diet-induced obese mice.