Anthocyanins from black wolfberry (Lycium ruthenicum Murr.) prevent inflammation and increase fecal fatty acid in diet-induced obese rats

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether black wolfberry (Lycium ruthenicum Murr.) anthocyanin (BWA) consumption can alleviate oxidative stress and reduce inflammation in high-fat diet-induced obese male Sprague-Dawley rats. In the present study, BWA at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg kg⁻¹ were supplemented in the daily food of obese rats during an eight-week experiment. Consumption of BWA at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg kg⁻¹ reduced bodyweight gain by 17.4%, 18.7 and 38.3%, respectively, in HFD-fed SD rats. BWA could effectively decrease Lee's index, improve the biochemical profiles, elevate superoxide dismutase activities and fecal fatty acid content, but significantly reduce malondialdehyde (MDA) production and down-regulate the expression of the TNFα, IL-6, NF-κB, IFN-γ and iNOS genes. Therefore, BWA potentially prevents diet-induced obesity by alleviating oxidative stress, reducing inflammation and accelerating fat decomposition in diet-induced obesity.