Therapeutic Potential of Santa Herba Extract in Obesity: Impact on Lipid Metabolism and Hormonal Balance

Many studies have reported that flavonoids can effectively suppress metabolic diseases related to obesity. Santa Herba extract (SHE), which is rich in flavonoids, has shown potential anti-obesity effects through clinical evaluations, but its anti-obesity mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, an obese mouse model was established to further investigate its underlying mechanisms and biological effects. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks to induce obesity and subsequently treated for 12 weeks with Orlistat (30 mg/kg) or SHE (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg). Body weight, food intake, fat mass (DEXA), serum biochemistry, histological changes, and gene/protein expression in liver and adipose tissue were analyzed. SHE200 reduced body weight by approximately 10%, fat mass by 15%, liver weight by nearly 40%, and epididymal adipocyte size by about 24% compared to the HFD group. Serum HDL was increased by approximately 1.2-fold, while LDL, ALT, and AST levels were reduced to 0.8-, 0.5-, and 0.6-fold of HFD levels, respectively. Leptin levels were also reduced to 0.6-fold of HFD levels, reflecting improvements in hormonal balance. In adipose tissue, FAS and ACC were reduced to approximately 0.6-fold of HFD levels, while key adipogenic transcription factors SREBP1c, CEBPα, and PPARγ were decreased to 0.5-, 0.6-, and 0.3-fold, respectively. PGC1α and CPT1α expression were modulated by SHE treatment, showing a 1.9-fold increase and 0.4-fold reduction, respectively. In liver tissue, similar reductions were observed, with FAS and ACC downregulated to 0.6- and 0.7-fold, and SREBP1c, CEBPα, and PPARγ suppressed to 0.4-, 0.5-, and 0.3-fold, respectively. Notably, PGC1α expression increased by approximately 2.2-fold, while CPT1α was reduced to about 0.5-fold. The findings underscore the potential of SHE as a natural, multi-targeted therapeutic agent for managing obesity and associated metabolic disorders.