Zizyphus lotus L. fruit attenuates obesity-associated alterations: in vivo mechanisms
Meryem Berrichi, Chahid Benammar, Babar Murtaza, Aziz Hichami, Meriem Belarbi & Naim Akhtar Khan
Received 08 Feb 2019, Accepted 15 May 2019, Published online: 01 Jun 2019
Download citation  https://doi.org/10.1080/13813455.2019.1621349 

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Abstract
Context: Zizyphus lotus L., ZL is a Mediterranean plant and widely consumed for its beneficial medicinal properties. Objective: We assessed the effects of ZL fruit on diet-induced obesity. Materials and methods: Male C57BL/6j mice were divided into three groups. Each group received either a standard diet or a high-fat diet, HFD (30% of palm oil, w/v) or a HFD-supplemented with ZL fruit powder (10%, w/w) for six weeks, followed by a six weeks period, in which animals were maintained on the HFD and ZL aqueous extract (1%, w/v). We measured plasma parameters and assessed the expression of key genes involved in energy metabolism and inflammation. Results: ZL fruit improved glycaemia, lipids concentrations and inflammation in obese mice. Discussion and conclusion: Our investigations showed that ZL fruit improved glucose tolerance, dyslipidaemia and fatty liver disease, but not the severity of HFD-induced obesity in mice.

Keywords: Zizyphus lotus L., high-fat diet, obesity, insulin, inflammation