The Possible Role of Orthoboric Acid on Adipogenesis In Rats (In Vitro and In Vivo Models) Histological and Immunohistochemical Study

Abstract

besity is a medical condition which is considered as a disease that impacts on all levels of society. Obesity is most associated with many diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and sometimes may lead to high rate of mortality. Obesity can be reached when the body mass index (BMI) exceeds 30 kg/m2 and abdominal obesity is considered if the waist circumference exceeds 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women. Adipose tissue has been known to expand via two main ways, hypertrophy which means increase in size of existing adipocytes and hyperplasia which means increase formation of adipocytes through differentiation of resident precursors known as preadipocytes. The number of adipocytes in each depot is determined early in life and is mostly stable through adulthood. However, it has been demonstrated that prolonged intake of high fat diet (HFD) can contribute to emergence of new adipocytes because of differentiation of preadipocytes, which are fibroblast- like in nature and present surrounding blood vessels. Boron compounds are essential nutrients for mammals which can be found in several types of foods including fruits, nuts, beverages, and cereal grain products. Boron compounds are present in nature in two forms Orthoboric acid and Borax. Orthoboric acid is a weak inorganic acid with antiseptic properties. Orthoboric acid has been used as a dietary supplement for short- and long-term weight loss in rat models. Moreover, orthoboric acid is regarded as a potential inhibitory agent for adipogenesis in progenitor cells in vitro.