Polyphenol Enriched Chrysanthemum morifolium Extract Increase Energy Expenditure and Decrease Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Rats Fed a High Fat Diet

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the improvement effects of polyphenol enriched Chrysanthemum morifolium extract (CE) on energy expenditure and hepatic lipid accumulation in rats fed a high-fat diet. METHODS: The polyphenols identified in CE were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups. Each group fed a normal diet (NOR), 45% high-fat diet (HF), or HF supplemented with 0.2% CE (CEL), or HF supplemented with 0.4% CE (CEH) for 13 weeks. RESULTS: Polyphenolic compounds of CE were confirmed that three flavonoids, such as luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-glucuronide and apigenin-7-O-glucoside, and three phenolic acids, including chlorogenic acid, 1,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid and 3,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid. CE significantly increased oxygen consumption (VO(2)), carbon dioxide production (VCO(2)) and energy expenditure (EE) compared with HF. CE supplementation was lower the serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and decreased the levels of hepatic total lipids, TC and TG. Hepatic lipogenic gene expression such as cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), ATP citrate lyase (ACLY), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), and diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) significantly down-regulated by CE supplementation. The mRNA expression involved in fatty acid oxidation such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and carnitine/palmitoyl-transferase 1α (CPT1α) were up-regulated in the CEH group than HF group. Hepatic adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity was significantly increased in the CE groups than HF group. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the polyphenol enriched CE might increase energy expenditure and reduce hepatic fat accumulation via modulating hepatic lipogenic and fatty acid oxidation gene expression with increasing AMPK activation. FUNDING SOURCES: This research was supported by the BK21 FOUR (Fostering Outstanding Universities for Research) funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE, Korea) and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).