# Aster pekinensis Extract Mitigates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction in Mice

## TL;DR

A water extract from Aster pekinensis helps reduce obesity and liver disease in mice fed a high-fat diet, suggesting potential as a natural supplement for pets.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that Aster pekinensis extract mitigates obesity and metabolic dysfunction in mice, offering a novel herbal-based approach for managing pet obesity.

## Key findings

- AP extract reduced body weight gain, abdominal fat, and improved blood sugar and lipid profiles in mice.
- AP extract decreased liver fat and inflammation, and modulated genes related to lipogenesis and inflammation.
- AP extract improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and reduced NAFLD-like liver injury.

## Abstract

Obesity in dogs and cats is now one of the most common medical problems seen by veterinarians and is associated with chronic inflammation, fatty liver disease, and insulin resistance. Nutraceuticals and herbal extract-based functional foods are being explored as long-term adjuncts to help manage obesity-related metabolic problems in pets. Aster pekinensis (AP) is an East Asian herbal plant rich in triterpenoid saponins and caffeoylquinic acids with potential metabolic benefits. In this study, we used a high-fat diet mouse model that is widely employed to mimic obesity and fatty liver disease in companion animals to evaluate the phytochemical profile and metabolic effects of a water extract of AP. Mice were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks and given AP once daily at different doses. AP attenuated body-weight gain, reduced abdominal fat, improved blood sugar control and serum lipid profiles, and decreased liver fat and inflammatory markers in the liver and adipose tissue. These results suggest that AP could be further developed as a herb-derived component of functional diets or nutraceutical supplements for overweight dogs and cats.

Obesity and metabolic disorders are an increasing concern in companion animals, creating demand for herb-derived nutraceuticals and functional feeds. This study evaluated whether a water extract of Aster pekinensis (AP) ameliorates high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction in mice. The phytochemical profile of AP was characterized by mass spectrometry, revealing oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins and dicaffeoylquinic acids. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed an HFD and orally given AP (10–200 mg/kg/day) for 12 weeks, with normal diet and untreated HFD groups as controls. AP at 50–200 mg/kg/day reduced body-weight gain, adipose tissue mass and food efficiency without lowering food intake, and improved fasting glucose and atherogenic lipid indices. AP also enhanced glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, attenuated hepatic steatosis, hepatocellular ballooning, lobular inflammation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) Activity Score, and decreased serum liver enzyme activities. These effects were accompanied by modulation of hepatic genes involved in lipogenesis and inflammation. Together, these findings indicate that AP extract mitigates diet-induced obesity and NAFLD-like liver injury and supports further development as a herb-derived nutraceutical or functional feed ingredient for managing obesity-related metabolic disorders in companion animals.