Evaluation of Indonesian anti-obesity traditional plants: a systematic review and meta-analysis on pancreatic lipase inhibition activity

Research and publication discussing the performance of medicinal plants as anti-obesity have proliferated in recent years. In the view of ethnopharmacology, empiric evidence of Indonesian medicinal plants in the management of obesity is widely accepted. In an attempt to find an anti-obesity agent, it is evidenced that the disorder can be resolved through inhibition of pancreatic lipase since the mechanism allowed to retard the absorption of fat into cells. This current work aimed to screen Indonesian medicinal plants by using ethnopharmacology and meta-analysis approaches, emphasizing their ability to deal with obesity via pancreatic lipase inhibition. The study followed two stages, i.e. systematic review and meta-analysis. Firstly, articles in six scientific databases (Scopus, Science Direct, Proquest, Ebsco, Cengage Library and Emerald) were reviewed resulting in ten selected data according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, steps of the meta-analysis were performed on the selected data. The extraction of data in these articles collected a number of samples, average values and standard deviation of IC50. The values focused on IC50 of samples in inhibiting lipase activities performed by plant extracts and orlistat as control. In conclusion of this study, Moringa oleifera is the most potent medicinal plant as anti-obesity through inhibition of pancreatic lipase, then there were top ten anti-obesity medicinal plants as follows: i.e. kelor (Moringa oleifera) leaves, kemangi (Ocimum basilicum) leaves, asam jawa (Tamarindus indica) leaves, asam gelugur (Garcinia atroviridis) fruit, lengkuas (Alpinia galanga) rhizome, and kencur (Kaempferia galanga) rhizome, kumis kucing (Orthosipon aristatus) leaves, jambu biji leaves (Psidium guajava leavaes), serai wangi (Cymbopogon nardus) and kayu secang (Caesalpinia sappan)