Saponin-rich extract of Tribulus terrestris alleviates systemic inflammation and insulin resistance in dietary obese female rats: Impact on adipokine/hormonal disturbances.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether a saponin-rich extract of Tribulus Terrestris could alleviate inflammatory burden, insulin resistance, adipokine expression, and related reproductive pathologies in a model of dietary obesity in female rats.
Results Summary
Tribulus Terrestris saponins (TTS) reduced body weight gain, serum triglycerides, and insulin resistance in obese rats. It also improved inflammatory cytokine levels, corrected hormonal disturbances, and ameliorated ovarian pathologies.
Population
Female rats with diet-induced obesity.
Effective Dosage
5 and 10 mg/kg/day.
Duration
14 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) | decrease | body weight gain | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | lessened | #1 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) | decrease | serum triglycerides | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | lessened | #2 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) | decrease | insulin resistance (IR) | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | lessened | #3 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) at 10 mg/kg dose | decrease | mRNA expression of leptin gene | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | ameliorated | #4 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) at 10 mg/kg dose | decrease | mRNA expression of visfatin gene | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | ameliorated | #5 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) at 10 mg/kg dose | decrease | serum inflammatory cytokine levels | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | ameliorated | #6 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) | decrease | hyperprolactinemia | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | corrected | #7 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) | decrease | other hormonal disturbances | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | corrected | #8 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) | decrease | ovarian pathologies | female rats with diet-induced obesity | - | ameliorated | #9 |
high fat diet (HFD) | increase | body weight gain | obese control female rats (OFR) | - | greater than | #10 |
high fat diet (HFD) | increase | serum triglycerides | obese control female rats (OFR) | - | greater than | #11 |
high fat diet (HFD) | increase | insulin resistance (IR) | obese control female rats (OFR) | >5-fold | greater than | #12 |
Tribulus terrestris saponins (TTS) have been longley used as an overall tonic and recent studies showed they influence inflammatory conditions. We examined the ameliorative effect of a commercial formula of a saponin-rich extract of TT in a model of dietary obesity in female rats focusing on their ability to control the inflammatory burden, insulin resistance (IR), adipokine expression and the related reproductive system pathologies. Female rats were fed with high fat diet (HFD) for 14 weeks to launch diet-induced obesity; they were assigned as: the obese control female rats (OFR) which received no treatment and TTS (5 and 10 mg/kg/day) treated rats; they were compared to a normal rat group. We determined the IR index, serum/tissue inflammatory cytokines, and adipose tissue adipokine expression and examined the secondary ovarian pathologies. Body weight gain, serum triglycerides and IR (>5-fold) in the OFR group were greater than the normal group; TTS lessened these parameters compared with the OFR group. TTS, at 10 mg/kg dose, ameliorated mRNA expression of leptin and visfatin genes in addition to serum inflammatory cytokine levels. Moreover, TTS corrected the hyperprolactinemia and other hormonal disturbances and ameliorated the ovarian pathologies. This study highlighted that the anti-inflammatory properties of TTS helped in alleviation of IR and body weight gain in OFR. Upon correction of obesity manifestations, the gonadal hormone dysregulations and ovarian pathologies were subsequently ameliorated. We can consider TTS as a promising candidate that may alleviate the inflammatory burden, IR and adipokine expression in obesity and hence prevent the secondary gonadal complications in female subjects if appropriate clinical studies are available.