Effect of aqueous extract of Colocasia esculenta against high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats

Pharmaceutical Science-Pharmacology for Drug Discovery

Abstract

Non-alcoholic  fatty  liver  disease  (NAFLD)  is becoming  a major  public  health  problem  due  to the increasing incidence of obesity and diabetes in India for the last two decades. The present work is aimed to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of Colocasia esculenta against (AECE) high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Wistar albino rats. Wistar albino rats were assigned in to four groups as follows; Group I: Normal conventional diet, Group II: High fat diet, Group III & Group IV: Combined high fat diet and different doses of Colocasia esculenta (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o) for 4 weeks.Treatment with aqueous extract of Colocasia esculenta(200mg/kg,  400mg/kg bw) significantly reduced the body weight and weight gain.   In addition, it also significantly reduced the serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and showed a significant increase in HDL cholesterol as well as significant improvement in liver cholesterol and triglyceride  content.  AECE  treated    rats exhibited  a significant  beneficial  effects  on levels  of  liver  function  markers  and oxidative  stress  and  also  reversed  the  histopathological  changes.The  study  suggested  the  therapeutic  potential  of AECE against NAFLD, acting in part through anti-obesity, antioxidant mechanisms, and liver marker enzymes.