Preclinical study of an antiobesity herbal medicine, PholiaNegra (X´Tract Vetorized)™ , in male and female rats fed with high-fat diet: comparison with sibutramine

Resumo/assunto

Objective – To assess, in this preclinical study, the effectiveness of a herbal medicine developed from a group of plants of the genus Ilex
in the 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 they are growing herbal medicine studies showing its effectiveness. Methods – Male and female
rats were fed with a high-fat diet for one month. The diet was then replaced by a chow diet. All male and female rats received the PholiaNegra (X´Tract Vetorized)™ or water. The treatment was orally administered twice a day over 30 days. Body weight gain was assessed
weekly and, at the end of treatment, the total body weight gain was calculated. A positive control with sibutramine (7.5 mg/kg, twice a
day, orally, over 30 day 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 the herbal medicine administration. The index of body weight loss showed that PholiaNegra (X´Tract
Vetorized)™ was more effective in reducing body weight in female than in male rats. The sibutramine treatment showed the same profile
as PholiaNegra (X´TractVetorized)™ treatment. Conclusion – The present data indicate that PholiaNegra (X´TractVetorized)™ herbal medicine was effective in decreasing body weight in male and female rats submitted to a high-fat diet, and showed a similar profile to that
of sibutramine.