Effect of aqueous enriched fraction of Premna integrifolia root against cafeteria diet induced obesity in Swiss albino mice

Objective: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of aqueous enriched fraction of Premna integrifolia root (AEFPIR) against cafeteria diet induced obesity in Swiss albino mice. Materials and Methods: Female Swiss albino mice were divided into four groups, which received cafeteria diet, standard drug simvastatin (10 mg/kg) and AEFPIR (200 and 400 mg/kg) daily for 40 days. The body weight, body mass index (BMI), food consumption, serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) were studied along with histopathological assessments for screening the effect of AEFPIR against cafeteria diet induced obesity. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint profile of AEFPIR was also studied using quercetin as the reference standard. Results: The results of present study revealed that, there was a significant decrease in body weight, BMI, food consumption and in the levels of serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL with a significant increase in the level of HDL in mice treated with simvastatin and AEFPIR groups compared with cafeteria diet group. Mice treated with AEFPIR shows dose dependent effect. The AEFPIR (400 mg/kg) supplementation attenuated all the above alterations, which indicates the protective effect against cafeteria diet induced obesity that was further confirmed by histopathological analysis. The solvent system was used for HPLC fingerprint profile of AEFPIR, 50 Mm potassium diphosphate (pH‑3 with ortho phosphoric acid): Methanol (50:50 v/v) at 360 nm. The chromatograph showed three peaks at retention times 3.835, 5.649 and 11.106. Conclusion: The present study suggests that AEFPIR possess protective effect against cafeteria diet induced obesity that was substantiated its ethno‑medicinal use in the treatment of obesity. The exploration of chemical constituents and further pharmacological evaluation will give us basis for its therapeutic use. Further series of studies are required to prove its clinical reliability, safety and efficacy. Key words: Aqueous enriched fraction, cafeteria diet, obesity, Premna integrifolia