J Nutr Health.  2023 Oct;56(5):469-482. 10.4163/jnh.2023.56.5.469.

Effect of sweet pumpkin powder on lipid metabolism in leptin-deficient mice

• Jeong I
• Son T
• Jun Sm
• Chung HJ
• Kim OK

• KMID: 2547713
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4163/jnh.2023.56.5.469

Abstract

Purpose
Obesity has emerged as a critical global public health concern as it is associated with and increases susceptibility to various diseases. This condition is characterized by the excessive enlargement of adipose tissue, primarily stemming from an inequity between energy intake and expenditure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of sweet pumpkin powder in mitigating obesity and metabolic disorders in leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) mice and to compare the effects of raw sweet pumpkin powder (HNSP01) and heat-treated sweet pumpkin powder (HNSP02).
Methods
Leptin-deficient obese mice were fed a diet containing 10% HNSP01 and another containing 10% HNSP02 for 6 weeks.
Results
The supplementation of ob/ob mice with HNSP01 and HNSP02 resulted in decreased body weight gain, reduced adipose tissue weight, and a smaller size of lipid droplets in the adipose tissue and liver. Furthermore, the ob/ob-HNSP01 and ob/ob-HNSP02 supplemented groups exhibited lower levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and insulin, as well as a reduced atherogenic index in comparison with the control group. Molecular analysis also demonstrated that the intake of HNSP01 and HNSP02 resulted in a diminished activation of factors associated with fatty acid synthesis, including acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase, while concurrently enhancing factors associated with lipolysis, including adipose triglyceride lipase and hormone-sensitive lipase, in the adipose tissue.
Conclusion
Taken together, these findings collectively demonstrate the potential of sweet pumpkin powder as a functional food ingredient with therapeutic properties against obesity and its associated metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.

Keyword

obesity; leptin; lipolysis