Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mokwon University, Daejeon, 35349, South Korea.
Genome Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 34141, South Korea.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2020 May 10;253:112646. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112646. Epub 2020 Feb 3.
Melissa officinalis L. (Labiatae; lemon balm) has traditionally been used as a medicinal herb to treat stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Current reports suggest that not only chronic stress stimulates angiogenesis, but angiogenesis also regulates adipogenesis and obesity. Because the herbal extract ALS-L1023 from Melissa officinalis inhibits angiogenesis, we hypothesized that ALS-L1023 could suppress visceral obesity and insulin resistance in obese female C57BL/6J mice, a mouse model of obese premenopausal women.
The mice were grouped and fed for 16 weeks as follows: 1) low-fat diet (LFD), 2) high-fat diet (HFD), or 3) HFD supplemented with 0.4 or 0.8% ALS-L1023. Variables and determinants of visceral obesity, insulin resistance, and pancreatic dysfunction were then assessed via blood analysis, histology, immunohistochemistry, and real-time polymerase chain reaction.
ALS-L1023 decreased weight gain, visceral adipocyte size, and serum lipid levels in HFD-fed obese mice. ALS-L1023 also normalized hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia and concomitantly reduced blood glucose levels during oral glucose tolerance tests. The pancreatic islet size and insulin-positive β-cell area were significantly reduced in ALS-L1023-treated mice compared with untreated obese controls, reaching a level similar to that of LFD-fed lean mice. ALS-L1023 suppressed pancreatic lipid accumulation, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and collagen levels. ALS-L1023 treatment altered the pancreatic expression of genes involved in steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis.
Our findings indicate that the herbal extract ALS-L1023 from Melissa officinalis not only inhibits visceral obesity, but also attenuates the increased fasting blood glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and pancreatic dysfunction seen in female obese mice. These results suggest that ALS-L1023 may be effective in the prevention of visceral obesity and insulin resistance in obese premenopausal women.
柠檬香蜂草（唇形科；柠檬香脂）传统上被用作草药来治疗压力、焦虑和失眠。目前的报告表明，不仅慢性应激会刺激血管生成，而且血管生成也会调节脂肪生成和肥胖。由于柠檬香蜂草的草药提取物 ALS-L1023 抑制血管生成，我们假设 ALS-L1023 可以抑制肥胖雌性 C57BL/6J 小鼠（肥胖绝经前女性的小鼠模型）的内脏肥胖和胰岛素抵抗。
将小鼠分组并喂养 16 周，如下所示：1）低脂饮食（LFD），2）高脂肪饮食（HFD），或 3）HFD 补充 0.4 或 0.8% ALS-L1023。然后通过血液分析、组织学、免疫组织化学和实时聚合酶链反应评估内脏肥胖、胰岛素抵抗和胰腺功能障碍的变量和决定因素。
ALS-L1023 可降低 HFD 喂养肥胖小鼠的体重增加、内脏脂肪细胞大小和血清脂质水平。ALS-L1023 还可使肥胖对照组的高血糖和高胰岛素血症正常化，并同时降低口服葡萄糖耐量试验期间的血糖水平。与未治疗的肥胖对照相比，ALS-L1023 治疗的小鼠的胰岛大小和胰岛素阳性β细胞面积明显减小，达到与 LFD 喂养的瘦鼠相似的水平。ALS-L1023 抑制胰腺脂质积累、炎症细胞浸润和胶原水平。ALS-L1023 处理改变了胰腺中与脂肪变性、炎症和纤维化相关的基因表达。
我们的研究结果表明，柠檬香蜂草的草药提取物 ALS-L1023 不仅抑制内脏肥胖，而且还可减轻肥胖雌性小鼠中空腹血糖升高、葡萄糖耐量受损和胰腺功能障碍。这些结果表明，ALS-L1023 可能对预防肥胖绝经前女性的内脏肥胖和胰岛素抵抗有效。
