LIPASE INHIBITORS FROM PLANTS AND THEIR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Obesity and its related disorders have become a major concern across the world. However, there are only few medications for treating obesity. Reducing the fat absorption through the inhibition of pancreatic lipase has become most favorable strategy for treating obesity since pancreatic lipase is a safe target and its inhibition does not alter the central pathways. However, the only available pancreatic lipase inhibitor for the treatment of obesity is orlistat and it is derived from lipstatin which is produced by a microbe, Streptomyces toxytricini . Many pancreatic lipase inhibitors are reported from the plant sources and they can be classified in to saponins, phenols, terpenes, glycosides, alkaloids, carotenoids and polysaccharides. Plant pancreatic lipase inhibitors are reported to show the antiobesity effects in the animal models. However, there is no plant inhibitor in the clinical use. This review describes the different lipase inhibitors from plant sources and their effects on the obesity and its related parameters. Keywords: Obesity, Pancreatic lipase inhibitor, Orlistat, Saponins, Phenols, Terpenes, Glycosides, Alkaloids, Carotenoids, Polysaccharides.