Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of puerarin on weight loss and obesity-related cytokines in rats with diet-induced obesity. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat models of diet-induced obesity were created and randomly divided into three groups: obesity model group, sibutramine positive control group and puerarin treatment group. In addition, a normal control group was set up. Each group consisted of 6 rats and was intragastrically administrated once daily for 42 consecutive days. During the administration period, body weight was measured once a week. Each group was fasted for 24 h after the last administration, and then anaesthetized with diethyl ether for blood sampling from the retro-orbital plexus and routine blood indexes and the levels of glucose (Glu), insulin, leptin, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and triglycerides (TG) in the serum of rats were assayed. After puerarin administration for 42 days, body weight was reduced by 21% when compared with the control group. The levels of Glu, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), insulin, leptin, VEGF and TNF-α were decreased by 16%, 20%, 58%, 12%, 70%, 36% and 36%, respectively. The levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and adiponectin were increased by 26% and 16%, respectively. Therefore, puerarin can inhibit the increase of body weight, reduce the levels of LDL-C, Glu, insulin and leptin, increase the concentrations of HDL-C and adiponectin, elevate the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, inhibit inflammatory cytokines, and improve insulin resistance and leptin resistance in obese rats.

Key words: puerain, obesity, cytokine, rats