Regulation of obesity and lipid disorders by extracts from Angelica acutiloba root in high-fat diet-induced obese rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the antiobesity and antihyperlipidemic effects of Angelica acutiloba root (Japanese Dong Quai). High‐fat diet (HFD)‐induced obese rats were treated orally with the polyphenolic‐rich extract of Angelica acutiloba root (AARE) once daily for 8 weeks. The AARE (300 mg/kg per day) supplementation significantly lowered body weight gain, visceral fat‐pad weights and plasma lipid levels, as well as the coronary artery risk index and the atherogenic index of HFD‐fed rats. The AARE caused dose related reductions in the hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol contents, as well as lowered hepatic lipid droplet accumulation and epididymal adipocyte size in the HFD‐fed rats. The AARE reversed the HFD‐induced down‐regulation of the hepatic peroxisome proliferator activated receptor‐α (PPARα). The HFD‐induced decreases of the hepatic protein level of acyl‐CoA oxidase (ACO), and the cytochrome P450 isoform 4A1 (CYP4A1) was up‐regulated by AARE. The elevated expressions of hepatic sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) of HFD‐fed rats were lowered by AARE. These results suggest that AARE attenuated visceral fat accumulation and improved hyperlipidemia in HFD‐induced obesity by increasing lipid metabolism through the down‐regulation of SREBPs and enhanced the expression of ACO and CYP4A1 in the liver, which was likely mediated by up‐regulation of the expression of hepatic PPARα. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.