We induced high fat diet obesity for 14weeks to test the corrective effects of three ST doses (75, 150 and 300 mg/kg per day) for 8 weeks. At the end of the experiment, body weight, fasting blood glucose and serum lipids, superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), fasting serum insulin and leptin, C-reactive protein, adiponectin and resistin levels were measured, Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was also calculated. mRNA gene expression of PPAR¦Ã (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ¦Ã) and C/EBP¦Á(CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ¦Á) in epididymal adipose tissue of DIO control and experimental groups were evaluated.
Sweet Tea leaves extract could significantly decrease the levels of serum lipids, attenuate body weight gain and lower circulatingleptin and insulin levels, ameliorate the state of oxidative stress, raise serum adiponectin, reduce circulating CRP and resistin levels, and depress the expression of PPAR¦Ã and C/EBP¦Á in epididymal adipose tissue of obese rats.
The present findings suggest that ST can effectively attenuate the leptin resistance at least through anti-hyperlipidemic activity and thus has the therapeutic potential in treating hyperlipidemia and hyperleptinaemia related to dietary obesity.