Effect of Garcinia cambogia Extract on Fatty Liver in Rats Fed High Lipid

Abstract

Garcinia cambogia is a plant which contains hydroxycitric acid and suppresses appetite and body fat accumulation. The aim of the study was to investigate the improving effect of Garcinia cambogia-extract on liver phospholipid, triglyceride, lipid hydroperoxide, total protein and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity, and histopathology of liver in female rats fed high-lipid diet. One-year-old 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats were separated to three equal groups. Group 1 (control group) was fed basal diet (2% liquid vegetable oil, 0% cholesterol), while the diets of both group 2 and 3 contained vegetable oil (2% liquid and 5% hydrogenated vegetable oil) and cholesterol (3%). 4.5% (W/W) Garcinia cambogia-extract was added to the diet of group 3 from day 45. Rats were euthanized on day 75. Liver samples were weighed, homogenized and centrifuged to obtain post-mitochondrial fractions (PMF). PMF phospholipid levels significantly decreased in the group fed high-lipid diet compared with the control group and in the group fed Garcinia cambogia-extract compared with the other two groups (P<0.05). PMF lipid hydroperoxide levels were significantly higher and PMF triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the control group than those in the other two groups (P<0.05). In the result of histopathological examinations, marked fat infiltration was observed in hepatocytes of animals fed high-lipid diet. Livers of animals fed Garcinia cambogia-added diet showed moderate fat infiltrations of the hepatocytes. Liver fattening partly occurred in rats fed high-lipid diet. However, this did not lead to the severe cellular degeneration. Garcinia cambogia added to the high-lipid diet insufficiently impaired liver fattening in the present dose.