Effect of Grains of Paradise (GP) Extract Intake on Obesity and Sympathetic Nerve Activity

Abstract

The methanol extract of grains of paradise (GP), the seed of Aframomum melegueta, which is distributed throughout West Africa, was administered during an animal breeding test. The extract suppressed body weight gain and decreased the weight of adipose tissues in breeding mice, with a greater effect on mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) than on those fed a normal diet (ND). Other significant effects of GP intake included increased serum triglyceride (TG) concentration and reduced hepatic total cholesterol (TC) and TG concentra-tions. GP intake markedly prevented fat accumulation and improved hepatic lipid metabolism in HFD-fed mice. In addition, GP extract at a dosage of 5 mg/kg body weight decreased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in brown adipose tissue (BAT), while capsaicin, a major component of chili pepper, ac-tivated BAT SNA. This suggested that GP exerts a potential anti-obesity effect by a different mechanism from that of capsaicin.