Momordica cymbalaria fruit extract attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes in C57BL/6 mice

OBJECTIVE(S): The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of methanolic fruit extract of Momordica cymbalaria (MeMC) against high-fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes in C57BL/6 mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, six weeks old male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups. G-1 and G-2 served as lean control and HFD control, G-3 and G-4 received MeMC 25 and 50 mg/kg, BW doses; all the treatments were given for a period of 11 weeks. The parameters such as body weight, fasting blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol, free fatty acid, and oral glucose tolerance tests were performed, further, at the end of the study fasting body weight, and weights of organs such as the liver, heart, and adipose tissue were measured and the liver tissue was subjected to histopathology evaluation, and insulin resistance was expressed as HOMA-IR index. RESULTS: The high-fat diet fed C57 mice showed significant elevation of body weight (P<0.01), blood glucose (P<0.01), insulin (P<0.01), cholesterol (P<0.01), free fatty acid (P<0.01), and HOMA-IR index (P<0.01) along with significant elevation of all organ weights and reduction in oral glucose tolerance (P<0.01) and brown adipose weight (P<0.01). The histopathology showed significant fatty infiltration and hypertrophy of hepatocytes. Interestingly, MeMC (50 mg/kg) alleviated all the HFD-induced perturbances significantly. Further, the HPLC analysis of MeMC revealed the presence of gallic acid and rutin as chief ingredients. CONCLUSION: MeMC possesses potent antidiabetic activity and ameliorates insulin resistance in HFD diet fed C57 mice.