Abstract
The effects of a mixture of Hippophae rhamnoides (HR) and Zingiber mioga (ZM) extract (ZH) on intracellular lipid accumulation were investigated in vitro and the anti-obesity effects of ZH evaluated in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity. The results revealed that ZH inhibited lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and Huh-7 cells by suppressing adipogenic and lipogenic gene and protein expression. To evaluate the anti-obesity effects of ZH, mice fed a high-fat diet were orally administered low and high doses of ZH (low, ZM 400 mg/kg + HR 100 mg/kg; high, ZM 800 mg/kg + HR 200 mg/kg) for 9 weeks. ZH significantly reduced body weight gain and adipose tissue accumulation with no reduction in food intake when compared to control treatment. Furthermore, ZH reduced hepatic triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, as well as adipose cell size, in the liver and epididymal fat pads, respectively, through inhibition of adipogenesis and lipogenesis-related gene expression. These results suggested that ZH inhibits lipid accumulation, thereby indicating its potential for use as a new therapeutic strategy for obesity.