THE EFFECT OF BOLDINE ON BODY COMPOSITION AND CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN OBESE MICE

Resumen

Boldine is an alkaloid widely found in boldo leaves. Recent studies have determined its
potential effect on glycemic and lipidemia control. Because of this, the objective of this work
was to evaluate the effect of boldine on body composition and carbohydrate metabolism in
obese mice induced by a high-calorie diet. 21-day-old male Swiss mice were divided into
control (standard diet), cafeteria (high-calorie diet) and treatment (boldine 20mg/Kg) groups.
After 90 days of treatment, the animals were euthanized, the liver was collected, and
epididymal, retroperitoneal, mesenteric and brown fats were weighed. Obese animals
increased body and fat weight, but boldine treatment decreased body weight (17%) and
abdominal circumference (15%) and reduced retroperitoneal (66%) and mesenteric (33%) fat
weight. Obesity altered the activity of glucokinase and glucose 6-phosphatase in the liver.
However, the treatment decreased glucose 6-phosphatase activity (30%) and increased
glucokinase activity (43%). We conclude that boldine can be a potential preparation for the
management and treating obesity.