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Several types of coumarins have been isolated from Peucedanum japonicum Thunb (PJT) and we previously reported the anti-obesity activity of pteryxin (PTX), as an active compound of PJT. However, during our research, we identified another variety of PJT, which does not contain any PTX. Here, we prepared concentrates from the two varieties of PJT and demonstrated that dietary PJT concentrates both with and without PTX significantly decreased the relative weights of white adipose tissue (WAT) and mRNA levels of lipogenic genes in epididymal WAT. Furthermore, we compared the inhibitory effects of dihydropyranocoumarins of PJT on lipid accumulation of differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. All of the dihydropyranocoumarins used in this study significantly inhibited lipid accumulation and lipogenic-related gene expressions in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. However, the magnitudes of the effects were distinctly different. The present study demonstrated that several dihydropyranocoumarins in PJT possess anti-obesity activities, which mainly act by inhibiting lipogenesis in adipocytes.

Three oat products were supplemented into high fat diets and fed to obese rats for 8 weeks. Each oat product decreased body weight, epididymal fat accumulation, and serum inflammatory factor levels and significantly regulated serum lipid levels. Oat bran significantly reduced mean adipocyte size and TNF-α mRNA expression levels. Principal components analysis showed that the oat products shifted the overall structure of gut microbiota in DIO rats. The relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio were altered towards that of normal rats. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that changes in the overall microbiota composition were significantly correlated with total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, endotoxin, and tumour cell necrosis factor-α levels in serum, and mRNA expression levels. Oat products significantly increased the total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) concentration in colonic digesta. These results suggest that oat products attenuate obesity and related metabolic disorders while modifying the gut microbiota composition in high fat diet-induced obese rats.

Bambusa textilis McClure ( Bambusoideae ) is a valuable bamboo species widely distributed in southern China. The methanolic extract of B. textilis leaves was examined for its chemical and bioactive properties. As a result, 38 compounds, including organic acids, flavonoids and miscellaneous substances, were identified or tentatively characterised by UFLC-DAD-Q-TOF-MS. Thirteen polyphenols, considered as the most important components, were quantified using LC-MS/MS method. Moreover, the methanolic extract of B. textilis leaves had obvious antioxidant and anti-obesity activities in vivo in a high-fat diet rat model. It also had a significant antioxidant effect in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and inhibition of β-carotene bleaching assays in vitro . These results are useful for further research of B . textilis leaves that may be useful candidates for the development as a functional food ingredient in health-related industries.

The incidence of obesity, caused by an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, has dramatically risen in recent years. Obesity is becoming a worldwide burden to public health. In many epidemic studies a lower prevalence of obesity-related diseases is observed in seafood-consuming population, suggesting a beneficial role of marine foods against obesity. It is believed that some functional ingredients in marine foods account for their anti-obesity effect. In this review, the cause and mechanism of obesity are first discussed in order to better understand how functional compounds can alleviate obesity. In addition, a series of anti-obesity components derived from marine origin, especially edible sources, are summarised, including lipids, polysaccharides, phlorotannins, carotenoids and others, with an emphasis on their efficacy and mechanism of action. Due to their anti-obesity effect, these marine-derived compounds might be excellent sources in the development of functional food against obesity.

Litchi flower–water extract (LFWE) contains plenty of phenolic acids, flavonoids, condensed tannins, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins. In this study, we used eight male rats per group that were assigned randomly to one of the following dietary group: (1) normal-caloric diet and distilled water; (2) hypercaloric diet (HCD) and distilled water; (3) HCD and 2.5% LFWE; (4) HCD and 5% LFWE for 10 weeks. As results, LFWEs demonstrated a suppressive (p

The anti-obesity effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), orange peel extract (OPE), black tea extract (BTE), and caffeine (CF) in female CF-1 mice were studied. Female CF-1 mice were fed high-fat diets containing 0.1% EGCG, 0.2% OPE, 0.2% BTE and 0.05% caffeine alone and in combination for 10 weeks. The body weight gain and weights of abdominal fat and brown adipose tissue were significantly reduced in mice whose diets contained OPE, BTE, caffeine, OPE + BTE and OPE + CF. Notably, mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented daily with 0.2% OPE + 0.2% BTE + 0.05% CF prevented body weight gain by 48.8%, parametrial fat pad weight by 88.2%, retroperitoneal fat pad weight by 82.8% and brown adipose tissue by 63.7% compared with mice fed a high-fat diet. On the basis of these findings, it was concluded that oral feeding of orange peel extract, black tea extract and caffeine had anti-obesity effects by suppressing body weight gain and adipose tissue formation.