Anti-Obesity Effects of a Standardized Prunus persica Flower Extract (HT099) Through the Regulation of Lipid Metabolism in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

TL;DR

This study shows that a peach blossom extract called HT099 helps reduce obesity and improve metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Contribution

The novel contribution is the identification of HT099 as a natural compound with anti-obesity effects through regulation of lipid metabolism and gene expression.

Findings

HT099 reduced body weight gain and white adipose tissue accumulation in obese mice.

The extract improved glucose tolerance and serum lipid profiles, including lower triglycerides and higher HDL cholesterol.

HT099 modulated gene expression related to lipid metabolism, increasing AMPKα1 and decreasing adipogenic and lipogenic genes.

Abstract

Background: Obesity is one of the most prevalent metabolic disorders worldwide, and its long-term management remains challenging due to the limited efficacy and adverse effects of current pharmacological treatments. Accordingly, there is growing interest in safe and effective anti-obesity strategies based on natural compounds. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of HT099, an extract derived from Prunus persica (peach blossom), and to investigate molecular changes associated with its metabolic effects in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mouse model. Methods: Male C57BL/6N mice were fed an HFD and orally administered HT099 (50 or 100 mg/kg) or the positive control orlistat (40 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. Body weight, adipose tissue accumulation, food efficiency ratio, glucose tolerance, serum lipid profiles, and hepatic gene expression related to lipid metabolism were evaluated. Results: HT099 supplementation significantly attenuated body weight gain and reduced white adipose tissue accumulation while improving food efficiency ratio. HT099 also ameliorated HFD-induced glucose intolerance and favorably modulated serum lipid profiles, including reduced triglyceride levels, increased HDL-cholesterol levels, and improved non-HDL cholesterol indices. At the molecular level, HT099 administration was associated with an increased hepatic AMPKα1 mRNA expression and decreased expression of adipogenic and lipogenic genes, including C/EBPα, PPARγ, FAS, and SREBP-1c. Conclusions: These findings indicate that HT099 exerts anti-obesity effects in HFD-induced obese mice, accompanied by improvements in lipid and glucose metabolism and changes in adipogenesis- and lipogenesis-related gene expression. Collectively, the results support the potential of HT099 as a natural bioactive agent for obesity management.

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