Momordica charantia Attenuates Hepatic Steatosis in High-Fat, High-Sucrose Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

Abstract

High-fat, high-sucrose (HFHS) diet consumption is a major contributor to obesity and liver-related metabolic disorders. Momordica charantia ethanolic extract powder (MC), derived from a traditional climbing plant, has been shown to exert multiple biological activities, including exhibiting antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antiinflammatory activities. Building on these properties, the present study investigated the potential effects of MC on hepatic lipid metabolism and obesity-related parameters in mice fed a HFHS diet. Male C57BL/6J mice (6 weeks old) were fed an HFHS diet for 4 weeks and subsequently divided into four dietary groups, receiving either continued HFHS, Cissus quadrangularis (CQ; positive control), MC 125 (125 mg/kg), or MC 250 (250 mg/kg) for an additional 12 weeks. Compared with the HFHS group, MC supplementation was associated with lower body weight gain, hepatic lipid accumulation, and epididymal adipocyte size. Histological findings were consistent with these changes in adipose tissue. At the molecular level, MC supplementation was associated with altered hepatic expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, including decreased expression of the lipogenesis-related genes SREBP-1c, ACC, FAS, and SCD1, as well as alterations in C/EBPα and PPARγ expression. In addition, the expression of fibrosis-related genes Col1α1 and αSMA was decreased in the MC-supplemented groups. These findings suggest that MC supplementation may modulate hepatic lipid metabolism- and fibrosis-related gene expression in HFHS diet-fed mice. Collectively, the present findings suggest that MC may influence metabolic responses associated with chronic consumption of a HFHS diet.