Improvement of high-fat diet-induced obesity by a mixture of red grape extract, soy isoflavone and L-carnitine: implications in cardiovascular and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the effect of a mixture of dietary components, including red grape 28 extract, soy isoflavone and L-carnitine (RISC), on obesity. RISC substantially inhibited high-fat diet 29 (HFD)-induced increase in body weight in a dose-dependent manner in C57BL/6 mice. The amount of 30 subcutaneous and mesenteric fat was also significantly decreased by RISC treatment in HFD-fed 31 C57BL/6 mice, whereas epididymal fat was not affected. Moreover, HFD-induced plasma leptin levels 32 were down-regulated by RISC treatment. In these mice, RISC treatment significantly increased the plasma 33 level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol without affecting the level of low density lipoprotein choles- 34 terol and triglycerides. In addition, HFD-induced increase in liver weight and lipid accumulation in liver 35 was significantly suppressed by RISC treatment in C57BL/6 mice. Plasma level of glutamic-oxaloacetic 36 transaminase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase was also inhibited by RISC treatment. These results 37 demonstrate that RISC suppresses HFD-induced obesity and suggest that RISC supplementation might 38 be a promising adjuvant therapy for the treatment of obesity and its complications, such as cardiovascu- 39 lar and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases.