الفهرس 
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Abstract
Obesity has reached an epidemic level all over the world with serious health consequences and costs, which led to the intervention and development of phytochemistry technologies as new treatment techniques. The present study aimed to evaluate the possible protective effect of the natural products: bitter orange, ginger, and flaxseeds, against HFD induced obesity in rats.
The present study was conducted on 50 adult male albino rats (160-180 g) of weight that were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10): group A: (negative control) group received a balanced normal diet. group B: (positive control) received a high-fat diet throughout the experiment duration (two months). group C: animals in this group received high-fat diets throughout the experiment period and oral daily administration with the bitter orange extract (20 mg/kg body weight) from the end of the fourth week of the experiment till the eighth week. group D: animals were given high-fat diets and a daily dose of flaxseed extract (250 mg/kg body weight) orally after four weeks till the last week of the experiment. group E: The HFD was fed to animals of this group in addition to an oral daily dose of ginger extract 200 mg/kg applied after the fourth week of the experiment time and lasts for another four weeks.
The weight of each rat in all groups was recorded every week during the two months of the experiment. After scarification, blood samples were collected for ALT, AST, lipid profiles, MDA, AFP, and CRP determination. Liver tissue samples were used for assessment of SOD activity, and GSH levels. Histopathological examination for renal and hepatic tissues was also evaluated.
The results of the present study demonstrated that HFD fed rats showed a high significant progressive increase in the body weight all over the experiment till the end of the eighth week when comparing two consecutive weeks. Moreover, it significantly increased serum ALT and AST activities, MDA, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total lipids, TGs, AFP, and CRP levels, and decreased hepatic tissue SOD activity and hepatic GSH level. HFD also increased the histopathological liver and renal damage.
Rats administrated with bitter orange showed the progressive decline in the body weight starting from the sixth week of the experiment (the second week of bitter orange treatment). It also decreased serum ALT and AST activities, MDA, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total lipids, TGs, AFP and CRP levels, and increased hepatic tissue SOD activity and GSH level in comparison to positive control HFD fed non treated group. Moreover, it normalized both hepatic and renal histopathological damage.
Rats administrated with flaxseeds extract showed the progressive decrease in the body weight starting from the second week of flaxseeds extract treatment. Besides, it decreased serum ALT and AST activities, MDA, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total lipids, TGs, HDL, and AFP levels, and increased hepatic tissue SOD activity and GSH level in comparison to positive control HFD fed non-treated group. It also normalized both hepatic and renal histopathological damage.
Rats administrated with ginger extract showed a decrease in body weight starting from the sixth week of the experiment. Moreover, it decreased serum AST activity, MDA, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total lipids, TGs, HDL, and AFP levels and increased hepatic tissue SOD activity and GSH level in comparison to positive control HFD fed non treated group with the restoration of the hepatic and renal histopathology.
It was concluded that HFD caused a progressive increase in body weight and these changes were accompanied by a significant disturbance in lipid profile parameters together with increased oxidative stress biomarkers, liver enzymes, inflammatory CRP biomarker, and liver injury marker AFP level, and histopathological changes of liver and kidney damage. Treatment of obese rats with the natural products (bitter orange, flaxseeds, and ginger extracts) significantly ameliorated the obesity-related biochemical changes and showed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, lipid-lowering, and hepatic and renal protective activities. Flaxseed showed the highest significant antioxidant capacity, ginger had the highest significant anti-inflammatory activity, and bitter orange appeared to have the highest significant anti-obesity effect.