Suppression by licorice flavonoids of abdominal fat accumulation and body weight gain in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2007 Jan;71(1):206-14. doi: 10.1271/bbb.60463. Epub 2007 Jan 7.

Abstract

We applied licorice flavonoid oil (LFO) to high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice and investigated its effect. LFO contains hydrophobic flavonoids obtained from licorice by extraction with ethanol. The oil is a mixture of medium-chain triglycerides, having glabridin, a major flavonoid of licorice, concentrated to 1.2% (w/w). Obese mice were fed on a high-fat diet containing LFO at 0 (control), 0.5%, 1.0%, or 2.0% for 8 weeks. Compared with mice in the control group, those in the 1% and 2% LFO groups efficiently reduced the weight of abdominal white adipose tissues and body weight gain. A histological examination revealed that the adipocytes became smaller and the fatty degenerative state of the hepatocytes was improved in the 2% LFO group. A DNA microarray analysis of the liver showed up-regulation of those genes for beta-oxidation and down-regulation of those for fatty acid synthesis in the 2% LFO group. These findings suggest that LFO prevented and ameliorated diet-induced obesity via the regulation of lipid metabolism-related gene expression in the liver.

MeSH terms

  • Adipocytes, White / drug effects
  • Adipose Tissue / drug effects*
  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism*
  • Animal Feed
  • Animals
  • Body Weight / drug effects*
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Female
  • Flavonoids / pharmacology*
  • Glycyrrhiza / chemistry*
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Obesity / drug therapy*
  • Obesity / pathology
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Up-Regulation / drug effects

Substances

  • Flavonoids