Iranian Journal of Diabetes and Obesity

en Effect of the Several Herbal Medicines Mixture on BMI and Lipid Profile -The Animal Study تخصصي Special پژوهشي Research Objective: Obesity involves complex pathological mechanisms. Multi-herbal formulations targeting diverse pathways may provide synergistic therapeutic benefits. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of a standardized multi-herbal formulation (GUTAC), consisting of Glycyrrhiza glabra, Urtica dioica, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Artemisia persica and Camellia sinensis. Materials and Methods: Obesity was induced in male Wistar rats (n= 30) via a high-fat diet (HFD) for three months. Subsequently, the rats were divided into three groups (n= 10 per group): (1) HFD alone, (2) HFD with GUTAC, and (3) standard diet (SD) with GUTAC, for an additional three months. Key parameters such as body mass index (BMI), blood biomarkers, and histopathological changes in the liver and kidney were evaluated. Results: BMI was significantly lower in both the HFD+GUTAC and SD+GUTAC groups compared to the HFD group (P< 0.05). Notably, the SD+GUTAC group exhibited a more pronounced BMI reduction, indicating that combining GUTAC with a standard diet yields greater benefits than its combination with a high-fat diet. GUTAC treatment significantly reduced blood glucose levels (P= 0.0013), liver enzyme activity (AST and ALT), and improved lipid profiles, including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, compared to the HFD group (all P< 0.05). Furthermore, GUTAC enhanced renal function markers (BUN and creatinine) and mitigated hepatic steatosis, as evidenced by histological analysis. Conclusion: The standardized multi-herbal GUTAC formulation demonstrated significant anti-obesity, hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, and renoprotective effects in a rat model. These benefits are likely mediated by the bioactive compounds’ modulation of lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory pathways. These findings highlight GUTAC's potential as a multi-target therapeutic strategy for obesity, warranting further exploration in human clinical trials.   obesity, herbal medicine, complementary therapies, lipid profile, herbs 205 212 http://ijdo.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-30-425&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mozhgan Mohammadzadeh No Physiology-Pharmacology Research Center, Research Institute on Basic Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Ali Shamsizadeh No Physiology-Pharmacology Research Center, Research Institute on Basic Sciences, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Mohammad Reza Memarzadeh No Department of Medicinal Plant Research Center of Barij, Kashan, Iran. Jalal Hassanshahi No Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Ayat Kaeidi No Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Morteza Khademalhosseini No Department of Pathology, Medical School, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Mohammad-Reza Shafiepour 0009-0000-9318-2904 Yes Department of Internal Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.