Antiobesity Activities of Methanolic Extracts of Amaranthus dubius, Cucurbita pepo, and Vigna unguiculata in Progesterone-Induced Obese Mice.

Antiobesity Activities of Methanolic Extracts of Amaranthus dubius, Cucurbita pepo, and Vigna unguiculata in Progesterone-Induced Obese Mice. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017;2017:4317321 Authors: Nderitu KW, Mwenda NS, Macharia NJ, Barasa SS, Ngugi MP Abstract Amaranthus dubius, Vigna unguiculata, and Cucurbita pepo are traditionally used to manage obesity in Kenya but lack scientific validation to support their use. The aim of this study was to determine the antiobesity activity of methanolic leaf extracts of these plants in progesterone-induced obese mice. The activity of the methanolic leaf extracts was orally bioscreened in progesterone-induced obese mice at 200 mg/kg/bw and 400 mg/kg/bw. Body mass index was calculated once per week for four weeks and blood samples were obtained at the end of the experiment for lipid profile analysis. Antiobesity activities of the extracts were compared with the controls. Leaf extracts of A. dubius, C. pepo, and V. unguiculata, at dose concentrations of 200 mg/kgbw and 400 mg/kgbw, showed significant effects on body mass index (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the three extracts on lipid parameter profiles (p > 0.05). The present study showed high food intake in the negative control group as compared with normal control, positive control, and treatment groups. These extracts contained various phytochemicals such as saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and ...
Source: Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Category: Complementary Medicine Tags: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med Source Type: research