THE EFFECT OF 4-WEEKS TREATMENT OF THE AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF THE ROOTS OF SALEP PLANTS ON THE SERUM CONCENTRATION OF LEPTIN HORMONE AND BODY WEIGHT IN MALE RATS

Introduction: Obesity is a chronic disease with a globally increasing incidence that can contribute to the development of several diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and some types of cancer. A wide range of methods have been proposed and adopted for treating obesity, including herbal therapy. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of the aqueous extract of Dactylorhiza maculate roots on serum leptin levels and body weight in male rats. Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study, 50 adult male Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into 5 groups of equal size, including a negative control group (without receiving any substances), the sham control group (receiving 1 ml of distilled water), experimental group 1 (receiving 20 mg/kg aqueous extract of Dactylorhiza maculate roots), experimental group 2 (receiving 40 mg/kg aqueous extract of Dactylorhiza maculate roots) and experimental group 3 (receiving 80 mg/kg aqueous extract of Dactylorhiza maculate roots). The extract was intraperitoneally injected to the experimental groups for 28 days. On the 29th day, blood samples were taken from the rats for assessing serum leptin levels. The rats' weight was also measured daily throughout the experiment. Data were analyzed using the ANOVA and Duncan's range test. Results: The dose-dependent injection of the aqueous extract of Dactylorhiza maculate roots led to a significant increase in serum leptin levels and a significant decrease in food intake and body weight compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The aqueous extract of Dactylorhiza maculate roots reduces body weight by increasing serum leptin levels.