Investigating the effect of Pinus brutia bark on Pancreatic lipase and adiposity index in high-fat diet induced obese rats Espir Angela1, Abajy Mohammad Y.2, Nayal Ream1,* 1Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aleppo University, Syria 2Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aleppo University, Syria *Corresponding Author E-mail: reamnayal@gmail.com
Online Published on 13 October, 2023. Abstract Obesity has become a global health problem. Orlistat is currently approved as an anti-obesity drug. However, its gastrointestinal side effects may limit its use, and with an alarming increase in obesity percentage there is a need to find new anti-obesity drugs. One of the most common approaches in treating obesity is inhibiting pancreatic lipase activity. In this study, the in vitro inhibitory activity of different polar solvent extracts of Pinus brutia bark against pancreatic lipase was measured using Para-nitrophenyl palmitate as a substrate. The ethanol extract showed the best anti-lipase activity with IC50 value of 0.07 mg/ml and was better than Orlistat. The anti-obesity activity of this extract was evaluated in vivo using high-fat diet induced obesity in wistar rats. Oral treatments with ethanol extract for 6 weeks precluded the increase in rats body weight and serum triglyceridesin in Pinus group similar to Orlistat group (positive control). Moreover, the adiposity index in Pinus group was similar to Orlistat group (p>0.05). However, the reduction in total cholesterol levels in Orlistat group was better than that in Pinus group (p=0.02). This study showed that ethanol extract of Pinus brutia bark may be useful as a natural anti-obesity agent. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of action of bark extract on triglycerides and obesity. Top Keywords Pinus brutia, Lipase, Anti-obesity, Triglycerides, Albino rats, Adiposity index. Top |