Anti-Obestic Effects of Artemisiae Capillaris Herba, Artemisia Capillaris Stem Aqueous Extracts on the High Fat Diet Supplied Mice

고지방 사료 급여 마우스에서 인진쑥 추출물의 항비만 효과

Artemisia capillaries THUNB is a perennial herb that belongs to the family compositae spp. and the most common plant among the various herbal folk remedies used in treatment of abdominal pain, hepatitis, chronic liver disease, jaundice and coughing in Korea. The object of this study is to observe the dosage-dependent anti-obestic effects of an aqueous extracts of dried aqueous extracts of stems of Artemisia capillaris Thunberg. [Artemisiae capillaris Herba, In-Jin in Korean, INJ] on 45%/Kcal high fat diet (HFD) supplied mice. 45%/Kcal rodent HFD are supplied to ICR mice from 1 week before initiation of INJ administration throughout the 12 weeks, and after the end of 12 weeks of 62.5, 125 and 250 mg/kg/day of INJ administration, the efficacy was divided into five categories 1) hypoglycemic, 2) hepato-protective, 3) nephroprotective, 4) hypolipemic, and 5) anti- obesity effects. The effects were compared to those of simvastatin (for hypolipemic activity), silymarin (for hepatoprotective and free radical scavenger effects) and metformin (for hypoglycemic and related anti-obesity effects). 7 animals per group (8 groups; total 56adapted mice on HFD were selected base on the body weight at 6 days after initiation of HFD supply) were used in this experiment. INJ and all three different reference drugs were directly suspended or dissolved in distilled water, and administered at a volume of 10 mL/kg, once a day for 84 days from 1 week after HFD supply. As results of 91 days of continuous HFD supply, mice showed marked obese states, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, liver damages and kidney damages. These mean the obesity, diabetes, diabetic hepatopathies, nephropathies and hyperlipemia were induced by HFD supply. After end of 84 days of continuous treatment of three different dosages of INJ, all diabetes related complications were inhibited; relatively favorable anti-obesity, hypolipemic, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic and nephroprotective effects. These favorable effects showed relatively good dose-relations between all three different dosages of INJ treated, and INJ 250 mg/kg showed enough favorable effects on diabetes and related four complications tested as compared with one of each three different references. Otherwise, the efficacy of 62.5 and 125 mg/kg of INJ was somewhat slighter than those of all three reference drugs. Therefore, the suitable effective dosage of INJ is considered as 250 mg/kg/day in the present study. The overall anti-obesity effects of INJ 250 mg/kg-treated group was similar or more favorable than those of metformin 250 mg/kg-treated group, and INJ 250 mg/kg showed slighter hypoglycemic effects with silymarin 100 mg/kg and metformin 250 mg/kg, similar hypolipemic effects with simvastatin 10 mg/kg, and similar hepatoprotective effects with silymarin 100 mg/kg, and similar nephroprotective effects with that of silymarin 100 mg/kg and metformin 250 mg/kg, respectively. Obese, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, steatohepatitis and related nephropathies induced by HFD supply were dramatically inhibited by 84 days of continuous treatment of all three different dosages of INJ. It is, therefore expected that INJ extracts will be a favorable alternative agent for diet-related diabetes and complications.