Anti-obesity effect of Stellaria media methanolic extract in the murine model of cafeteria diet induced obesity

Context: The whole plant of Stellaria media Linn (family Caryophyllaceae) is used by the local people of Dibrugarh district of Assam state, India, as a dietary supplement for the treatment of overweight and is also mentioned in the traditional system of Indian medicine as a remedy for obesity. Moreover phytoconstituents like flavonoid, saponin, and sitosterol have already been reported for their anti-obesity activity, and the extract of S. media also contains the same constituents in its extracts. With this background, this study was carried out. Objective: The anti-obesity activity of the alcoholic and methanolic extracts of Stellaria media was evaluated against the cafeteria diet-induced obesity model in female Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Obesity was induced by feeding a cafeteria diet for 48 days to female Wistar rats, although one group was kept on a normal chow diet to evaluate the effect of Stellaria media on body weight changes, exploratory behavior, theromogenesis, lipid metabolism, effect on White Adipose Tissue (WAT), and histology of the fat pad. Results: Among these two extracts, the methanolic extract of Stellaria media (MESM) has shown a strong anti-obesity effect compared to the alcoholic extract of Stellaria media (AESM); may be because of its multiple mechanisms. The LD 50 value was found to be more than 5000 mg/kg. Discussion and Conclusion: These findings suggest that the anti-obesity activity produced by MESM may be because of the flavonoid and saponin contents, which have thermogenic and appetite-suppressant properties or it may be due to the β-sitosterol content. With this study we conclude that MESM is beneficial for the suppression of obesity and its associated complications.