The effect of Cyclopia maculata on AMPK expression in Wistar rats

Abstract

Being overweight or obese are major factors contributing to the increased morbidity and mortality due to non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The treatment of obesity with pharmaceutical drugs is plagued by side effects. Plants and their phytochemicals possess a number of beneficial health effects including anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and anti-cancer effects, mediated by activation of the adenosine monophosphate protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK controls many metabolic processes including glucose uptake and utilisation, and adipogenesis, and is often referred to as the master regulator establishing cellular homeostasis. Cyclopia maculata, commonly known as honeybush, is an indigenous South Africa plant possessing anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Recently, others in our laboratory have shown that a hot water extract of fermented C. maculata inhibits adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-Ll pre-adipocytes, with some evidence of weight regulatory properties in a Wistar rat model of diet-induced obesity. In the rat study, 21 day old wean lings were fed a high fat, high sugar cafeteria diet for 3 months with (n=10) or without (n=10) C. maculata supplementation. This group of rats was referred to as the lean group (n=20). Another group of rats were fed a cafeteria diet for 4 months to induce obesity (obese group, n=20) and thereafter treated as described for the lean rats. The aim of this MSc study was to determine whether C. maculata induces AMPK activation.