PUBLICATION

Effects of a Flavonoid-Rich Extract from Citrus sinensis Juice on a Diet-Induced Obese Zebrafish

Authors

Montalbano, G., Mania, M., Guerrera, M.C., Laurà, R., Abbate, F., Levanti, M., Maugeri, A., Germanà, A., Navarra, M.

ID

ZDB-PUB-191022-2

Date

2019

Source

International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20(20): (Journal)

Registered Authors

Germanà, Antonino, Guerrera, Maria Cristina, Montalbano, Giuseppe

Keywords

Citrus sinensis, diet-induced obesity, flavonoids, lipolysis, orange juice, zebrafish

MeSH Terms

Diet/adverse effects*
Flavonoids/chemistry
Flavonoids/pharmacology*
Adipocytes/metabolism
Body Weight
Obesity/drug therapy*
Obesity/etiology*
Obesity/pathology
Animals
Gene Expression Profiling
Fruit and Vegetable Juices*
Zebrafish
Plant Extracts/chemistry
Plant Extracts/pharmacology*
Adipose Tissue/metabolism
Lipolysis
Biomarkers
Citrus sinensis/chemistry*
Immunohistochemistry

PubMed

31619003 Full text @ Int. J. Mol. Sci.

Abstract

Background Obesity is a pathological condition that has reached epidemic proportions; hence, it is necessary to find novel strategies aimed at fighting this disease. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of a flavonoid-rich extract of orange (Citrus sinensis) juice (OJe) in diet-induced obese zebrafish.

Methods Adult zebrafish were divided into four diet groups: (i) normally fed (NF); (ii) overfed (OF); (iii) NF supplemented with OJe (5 mL/L in fish water; NF + OJe); and (iv) OF supplemented with OJe (OF + OJe). Each week, body weight (BW) and body mass index (BMI) were measured, and, at the end of the fifth week, euthanized zebrafish were processed for both microscopic evaluations and qPCR analyses.

Results In OF zebrafish, OJe significantly decreased both BW and BMI values and lowered the visceral adipose tissue, while it had little effect in the NF group. Moreover, it significantly reduced adipocyte cell size in both NF and OF groups in both visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues, as well as their number in OF fish. Finally, OJe modulated some obesity-related genes, such as leptin A, ghrelin, orexin, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), and neuropeptide Y (NPY), in both gut and brain.

Conclusion This study adds new insights into the anti-obesity properties of orange juice and its flavonoids, suggesting their role as weight management agents through a lipolytic action linked to a restoration of metabolism-regulating gene expression.

Genes / Markers

Figures