Anti-obesity effect of fresh and browned Magnolia denudata flowers in a high fat diet murine model

The anti-obesity effect of fresh and browned Magnolia denudata flowers was investigated in obese mice. C57BL/6J male mice were subjected to either a normal diet (ND) or a high fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks and then fed with fresh magnolia flower extracts (FMFE) and browned magnolia flower extracts (BMFE) for 4 weeks. The extent of adipocyte/body weight, histological adipocyte size, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, leptin, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine transaminase were reduced following FMFE and BMFE consumption. Furthermore, we also have found that both magnolia flower extracts (MFEs) induce enhanced phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase in liver tissue. Both MFEs inhibited the activity of metabolic enzymes such as acetyl-CoA carboxylase and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, and significantly decreased the expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha, and perilipin in adipose tissue. All these results suggested that both MFEs have anti obesity activity.