International Journal of Medicinal Plants and Alternative Medicine Vol. 3(2), pp. 027-036, June 2015 ISSN 2327-560X ©2015 Academe Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of natural essential oil product in normal diet and high-fat-diet fed rats

LEE Jia Ming and CHIA Yoke Yin*

School of Biosciences, Taylor’s University, Lakeside Campus, Selangor, Malaysia.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: adelineyokeyin.chia@taylors.edu.my.

Accepted 5 June, 2015

Abstract

Essential oil products are getting popular among the public as health supplements. Most of the products in the market are proclaimed to be effective against metabolic syndrome by improving lipid profile. The aim of this study is to investigate one of the essential oil products in Malaysia on its effect on normal-diet fed rats and high-fat-diet induced obese rats, mainly focusing on the metabolic syndrome and liver toxicity. The product is made of various natural plant oils. Two categories of male Sprague-Dawley rats - the normal diet and high fat diet (HFD) fed categories, were put on a 7-day essential oil treatment. The weight, serum glucose level, lipid profile, liver function test and post-mortem histology analysis were conducted for the evaluation of the product. Mean serum glucose level was insignificantly elevated in the essential oil fed groups of both categories. Lipid profile was insignificantly improved after essential oil treatment in both categories. Insignificant rises on the liver function tests were observed in the treatment group of both categories. The chosen essential oil product insignificantly improved lipid profile in normal diet and high fat diet fed rats, but at the same time it insignificantly deteriorated mean serum glucose level and added burden to the liver.

Key words: Essential oil, metabolic syndrome, liver functions, lipid profile, mean serum glucose, obese rats.