Preclinical study of an antiobesity phytotherapic compound obtained from Cactus Cereus plantas in male and female rats fed with high-fat diet: comparison with sibutramine Estudo pré-clínico de um composto fitoterápico antiobesidade, obtido de plantas Cactus Cereus em ratos machos e fêmeas alimentados com dieta hipercalórica: comparação com a sibutramina

Objective – To assess the effectiveness of a phytotherapic compound developed from a Cereus peruvianus, plants as an adjuvant treatment of obesity in rats fed with a high-fat diet. Phytotherapy is becoming increasingly popular both for the results it yields in several pathologies and because of a growing sense of mistrust toward conventional medical treatments. Methods – Male and female rats were fed with a high-fat diet for one month. The diet was then replaced by a chow diet and a phytotherapic compound (8 mg/kg; KOUBO TM ) was orally administered twice a day over 30 d. Body weight gain was assessed weekly and, at the end of treatment, total body weight gain was calculated. A positive control with sibutramine (7.5 mg/kg, twice a day, orally, over 30 d) was also included. Results – A significant reduction in weekly body weight gain, as well as in total weight gain, in both male and female rats after phytotherapic compound administration. The index of body weight loss showed that the phytotherapic compound was more effective in reducing body weight in female than in male rats. The sibutramine treatment showed the same profile as the phytotherapic compound treatment. Conclusion – The present data indicate that KOUBO TM phytotherapic compound was effective in decreasing body weight in both, male and female rats, submitted to a high-fat diet, and showed a similar profile to that of sibutramine. Descriptors: Phytotherapy; Obesity; Medicinal plant; Body weight loss Resumo Objetivo – Avaliar a eficacia de um medicamento desenvolvido a partir de um grupo de plantas do genero Catus Cereus no tratamento adjuvante da obesidade em ratos alimentados com uma dieta hipercalorica. A fitoterapia esta se tornando cada vez mais popular, tanto pelos resultados positivos em diversas doencas e porque eles estao crescendo estudos de medicina de ervas que mostram a sua eficacia. Metodos – Ratos machos e femeas foram alimentados com uma dieta rica em gordura durante um mes. A dieta foi entao substituida por uma racao normal do bioterio. Todos os ratos e ratas foram com 8mg/kg de KOUBO