Anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory effects of high hydrostatic pressure extracts of ginseng in high-fat diet induced obese rats

Obesity is associated with a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation. High hydrostatic pressure, a non-thermal food processing technique, increases extraction efficiency without destroying heat-sensitive bioactive constituents. This study investigated effects of high hydrostatic pressure extract of ginseng (PEG) and hot water extract of ginseng (WEG) on obesity and inflammation in rats fed a high-fat diet. The contents of total phenolics, saponins and acidic polysaccharides of PEG were higher than those of WEG. PEG reduced the body weight and white adipose tissue mass. PEG increased faecal triacylglycerol, whereas WEG did not. PEG reduced mRNA levels of adipogenic genes such as PPARγ and aP2. The mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory genes such as TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 were down-regulated by the PEG, whereas WEG did not. These results suggest PEG may have more beneficial effects on obesity and inflammation than WEG, partially mediated by increase of faecal triacylglycerol and regulation of gene expression.