The nutritional composition and anti-obesity effects of an herbal mixed extract containing Allium fistulosum and Viola mandshurica in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice

BACKGROUND: In traditional oriental medicine, A. fistulosum and V. mandshurica are considered to be effective in promoting blood circulation. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether a solution containing both A. fistulosum and V. mandshurica (AFE + VME) extracts has synergistic effects on the treatment of hyperlipidemia and obesity. METHODS: Anti-obesity effects of an herbal extract containing Allium fistulosum and Viola mandshurica (AFE + VME) were investigated in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. AFE + VME was orally administrated to mice with the HFD at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks. We observed the effects of mixed extract on body weight, fat mass, serum lipid levels, and mRNA expression levels of lipid metabolism-related genes in the adipose tissue of mice. RESULTS: The nutritional analysis revealed that this mixed extract is high in carbohydrate (72.2 g/100 g) and protein (11.5 g/100 g); low in fat (1.7 g/100 g); rich in vitamins E (4.8 mg/100 g), B(1) (14.8 mg/100 g), B(2) (1.0 mg/100 g), niacin (7.9 mg/100 g), and folic acid (1.57 mg/100 g); and rich in minerals such as calcium (600 mg/100 g), iron (106.1 mg/100 g), and zinc (5.8 mg/100 g). The oral administration of AFE + VME in obese mice reduced body weight, tissue weight, adipocyte size, and lipid accumulation in the liver compared with HFD control mice. AFE + VME also decreased serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, and leptin concentrations. Furthermore, AFE + VME markedly increased the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2), and adiponectin and decreased leptin expression in the epididymal white adipose tissue. Our results suggest that the extract containing A. fistulosum and V. mandshurica improved lipid metabolism via the up-regulation of PPAR-γ, UCP-2, and adiponectin expression and the down-regulation of leptin in HFD-induced obese mice. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, the extract containing Allium fistulosum and Viola mandshurica may be a potentially effective therapy for obesity and its related metabolic disorders such as hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance.