Parasitic loranthus from Loranthaceae rather than Viscaceae potently inhibits fatty acid synthase and reduces body weight in mice.
OBJECTIVE
Our previous results have shown one species of parasitic loranthus (Taxillus chinensis (DC.) Dancer) exhibits potent inhibition on fatty acid synthase (FAS) that is proposed to be a potential therapeutic target for treatment of obesity. However, the medicinal parasitic loranthus come from tens of plants of two families, the Loranthaceae and the Viscaceae. This study was carried out to figure out whether these parasitic loranthus from the two families have similar inhibitory ability on FAS, and whether the parasitic loranthus with potent inhibitory ability on FAS significantly reduce body weight of animal.


METHODS
CD-1 mice were used to test the effects of samples on their body weight and food intake in 20 days. The reversible and irreversible inhibition on FAS was assayed to study the inhibitory ability of sixteen different medicinal plants from these two families, which were collected in nature.


RESULTS
The reversible inhibitory ability of the extracts from the Loranthaceae was nearly 400-fold stronger than that from the Viscaceae. The species from the genus Taxillus Tieghem showed the best effect on FAS in both reversible and irreversible inhibition. Moreover, the difference in host plants did not affect markedly on the inhibitory ability of parasitic loranthus. The medicinal herb with high inhibitory ability on FAS significantly reduced the body weight and food intake of mice by oral administration.


CONCLUSIONS
The medicinal herbs from the family Loranthaceae, rather than those from the family Viscaceae, should be suitable to apply as botanical sources of parasitic loranthus for weight control. The herbs from genus Taxillus Tieghem are the best.
Wang
Yan
Y
College of Life Science, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 3908, Beijing, China.
Deng
Min
M
Zhang
Shu-Yan
SY
Zhou
Zhe-Kun
ZK
Tian
Wei-Xi
WX
D000818:Animals; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D005260:Female; D028183:Loranthaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D028163:Viscaceae / Q000737:chemistry
D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases