蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物改善高油脂飲食所誘導大鼠肥胖症

肥胖是世界公共衛生與預防醫學的重要課題，亦是已開發與開發中國家的全球性流行疾病。苦瓜作為藥食兩用已有悠久的歷史，已知其具有抗發炎、抗癌、降血脂、抗糖尿病與改善胰島素阻抗等作用。在本研究室先前體外3T3-L1 脂肪細胞試驗研究結果得知，在苦瓜萃取物中，以蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物具有最佳抑制3T3-L1 脂肪細胞胞內三酸甘油酯濃度與脂質堆積。因此，本研究將利用體內動物試驗模式，探討給予蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物對高油脂飲食誘導肥胖大鼠之影響。結果顯示，給予蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物之組別可顯著抑制高油脂飲食所誘導肥胖大鼠之體重、肝臟與內臟脂肪組織重量之增加，並降低肝臟三酸甘油酯之含量。此外，在組織切片染色部分，高油脂飲食組別給予蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物，可降低腎周脂肪組織油滴堆積與脂肪細胞肥大現象，減少肝臟組織油滴堆積之情形。在脂質過氧化分析結果顯示，蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物可顯著降低血清與肝臟中丙二醛濃度。在抗氧化酵素活性結果顯示，蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物可顯著提升肝臟中GSH、GRd、GPx 與catalase 之活性。在脂肪組織之基因表現上，蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物具有提升脂肪酸分解 (HSL 和FoxO1) 與脂肪酸氧化 (Sirt1、AMPK、ACO 和CPT-1) 之基因表現。綜合上述結果證實，蘋果苦瓜果肉水萃取物確實可透過提升脂肪酸分解與氧化之基因表現，進而改善高油脂飲食所誘導大鼠肥胖症。

Obesity is an important topic in the world of public health and preventivemedicine. It has become a global epidemic in both developed and developingcountries. The bitter gourd fruits have many health benefits and medicinal properties,such as anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, hypolipidemic, anti-diabetes, and ameliorateinsulin resistance. Our previous study had indicated that water extracts from the fruitof Momordica charantia inhibited intracellular triglyceride in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Inthe present study, the effect of water extracts from the fruit of Momordica charantiaon high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese in rats were investigated. The result indicatedthat the weights of body, liver, visceral adipose tissue, and hepatic triglyceride inHFD plus water extracts from the fruit of Momordica charantia groups weresignificantly decreased as compared with the HFD group. Moreover, the serum andhepatic levels of malondialdehyde in HFD plus water extracts from the fruit ofMomordica charantia groups were significantly decreased as compared with the HFDgroup. Hepatic antioxidant enzymes activities (GSH, GRd, GPx, and catalase) in HFDplus water extract from the fruits of Momordica charantia groups were significantlyincreased as compared with the HFD group. Histological study showed that thehepatic lipid droplets and adipocyte size in HFD plus water extracts from the fruit ofMomordica charantia were significantly decreased as compared with the HFD group.In gene expressions of perirenal adipose tissue, the gene levels of lipolysis (HSL andFoxO1) and fatty acid oxidation (Sirt1, ACO, CPT-1, and AMPK) in HFD plus waterextracts from the fruit of Momordica charantia were significantly increased ascompared with the HFD group. These results demonstrate that water extracts from thefruit of Momordica charantia may be useful for the treatment of obesity.