The effect of fennel aqueous extract on appetite and satiety hormones including neuropeptide Y, adiponectin, ghrelin, and leptin, as well as its effect on the leptin receptor in the hypothalamus.
Subject Areas : Developmental biology of plants and animals , development and differentiation in microorganisms
hoda Booshehri
1
,
monireh movahedi
2
*
1 - Biochemistry department, Faculty of Biological Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Biochemistry department, Faculty of Biological Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Adiponectin, Fennel, Foeniculum VULgare, Ghrelin, Leptin, NeuropeptideY,
Abstract :
Background and Aim: Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel) is one of the aromatic plants whose
effect on appetite control is very questionable. we investigated the effect of fennel
aqueous extract on the appetite/satiety hormones.
Materials and Methods: Forty adult female BALB/c mice were equally divided into 5
groups; Control (no treatment), sham (distilled water injection) and FE1, FE2, FE3, the
test groups (received aqueous fennel extract intraperitoneally at doses of 50, 100 and 200
(mg/kg) every 24 hours for 14 days, respectively). Serum levels of neuropeptideY (NPY),
adiponectin, ghrelin and leptin were measured using ELISA. We also performed
immunohistochemical staining in order to measure the hypothalamic leptin receptor
expression level. Data analysis was performed by SPSS.V22.
Results: Serum NPY in FE3 and FE2 groups increased significantly compared with the
control group (for both p<0.05). The results also showed a significant increase in serum
adiponectin in FE3 group compared with the control group (p<0.05). Administration of
different doses of fennel did not show any effects on ghrelin concentration. FE1 group
represented the highest serum leptin concentration compared with other groups
(p<0.0001). FE3 group showed a significant increase in hypothalamic leptin receptor
expression level compared to the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: High doses of fennel can increase appetite, while lower doses may induce satiety. Choosing the right dose of fennel is key to using it as an effective weight management supplement.
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