Nobiletin Prevents Body Weight Gain and Bone Loss in Ovariectomized C57BL/6J Mice

Young-Sil Lee¹, Midori Asai¹, Sun-Sil Choi¹, Takayuki Yonezawa¹, Toshiaki Teruya², Kazuo Nagai¹, Je-Tae Woo^3,4, Byung-Yoon Cha^1*

¹Research Institute for Biological Functions, Chubu University, Kasugai, Japan.
²Faculty of Education, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan.
³Department of Biological Chemistry, Chubu University, Kasugai, Japan.
⁴Department of Research and Development, Erina Co., Inc., Tokyo, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/pp.2014.510108                

Abstract

Obesity and osteoporosis are associated with estrogen deficiency following menopause. Therefore, it is important to prevent and treat both disorders to maintain a healthy life in postmenopausal women. Nobiletin, a polymethoxylated flavone, exhibits various pharmacologic effects, including anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of nobiletin on obesity, obesity-related metabolic disorders, and bone mass in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Mice were divided into four groups and underwent sham operation or OVX. OVX mice were treated with 50 or 100 mg/kg nobiletin, or received vehicle alone (0.3% carboxyl methyl cellulose/0.5% dimethyl sulfoxide). Nobiletin decreased body weight gain and white adipose tissue weight in OVX mice. Nobiletin also decreased triglyceride levels, and tended to reduce plasma total cholesterol and glucose levels. Additionally, nobiletin prevented the reduction in bone mineral density of the trabecular region of the femur in OVX mice. Taken together, our results suggest that nobiletin improves adiposity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and prevents bone loss in OVX mice. Therefore, nobiletin is expected to have beneficial effects for the prevention and improvement of metabolic disorders and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Keywords

Nobiletin, Ovariectomy, Obesity, Lipid and Glucose Metabolism, Bone Mineral Density

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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