Effects of Plantaginis Semen & Poria (CJB) Water Extract on Histomorphometrical Aspects and Histopathological Changes in High Fat Diet-induced Obese Rats

Objectives : Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease caused by disorder of energy balance and lipid metabolism. This study was conducted by histopathology and histomorphometry to investigate the anti-obesity effects of mixed water extract of Plantaginis Semen & Poria (CJB) on liver, epididymal fat pads and pancreas zymogen granules in obese rats induced with high fat diet. Method : Male Sprague-Dawley rats to be divided four groups were fed into four different treatments: normal (NOR) diet, high-fat (HF) diet, HF diet+CJB (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg, P.O.) for 8 weeks. The weekly body weights were measured in four experimental groups, respectively. Also histopathological and histomorphometrical changes of liver, epididymal fat pads and pancreas zymogen granules were observed in normal control and obese rats, respectively. Results : Adminstration of CJB significantly reduced body weights compared to those of HF group for experimental period. After 8 weeks, liver weights in the CJB groups were lower than those of HF group. In addition, HF diet related steatohepatitis, adipocyte hypertrophy, exocrine disturbances (decreases of pancreatic zymogen granules) were also dose-dependently inhibited by treatment of test material, CJB 100 and CJB 300 as compared with HF group, respectively. Conclusion : Based on the results, it is considered that CJB will be showed hepatoprotective and anti-obese effects, may be directly and/or indirectly mediated by pancreatic zymogen granules because they dose-dependently inhibited steatohepatitis, hypertrophy of adipocytes and decreases of pancreatic zymogen granules induced by HF diet supply, respectively.