Hypolipidemic and Anti-Obesity Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Brazilian Red Propolis in a Rodent Model of Dyslipidemia

The widespread use of Brazilian red propolis extract promotes an increased production rate in the Northeast region of Brazil, with an impressive economic turnover for the region. The rational use of the hydroalcoholic extract of red propolis (HERP) raises the question about its value against obesity. In this work, the aim is to evaluate the anti-obesity effect of HERP in rats submitted to hyperlipid dietary (HLD) supplementation. HERP extraction yield is 17.46% (m/v). The major chemical components of HERP are found to be daidzein (4.16 +/- 0.22 mg g(-1)), formononetin (9.21 +/- 0.10 mg g(-1)), and biochanin A (7.08 +/- 0.09 mg g(-1)). After 8 weeks, the animals under HLD supplementation show significantly greater body weight gain, while after the subsequent 4-week treatment with HERP, HLD-HERP animal shows lower body weight gain than HLD-vehicle animals. Oral administration of HERP also attenuates the pathological changes in the liver, kidney, and large intestine caused by HLD supplementation. This study demonstrates that HERP treatment has a hypolipidemic effect in a rodent model of dyslipidemia and that HERP minimizes the impact of a hyperlipidic diet on murine body weight parameters and abdominal fat accumulation. Practical Applications: Brazilian red propolis is being exploited for a range of biomedical applications. It is demonstrated that its extract has hypolipidemic effect in a rodent model of dyslipidemia and minimizes the impact of a hyperlipidic diet on murine body weight parameters and abdominal fat accumulation.