Role of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Extract on the Mode of Action of Irisin on Experimentally-Induced Obesity in Adult Male Albino Rats

Abstract

Obesity is a worldwide public health problem and a major risk factor for several sedentary life style-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. The interaction between adipose and muscle tissues has been increasingly recognized to play an important role in body weight regulation. Most of the research efforts related to metabolic diseases including obesity have been focused on adipose tissue and its role in chronic inflammation. Recently, muscle function or dysfunction has become relevant in metabolic homeostasis. As it has been previously proposed, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle may be considered an endocrine organ secreting hormones known as myokines, highlighting its muscular role in lipid metabolism. Irisin is a myokine secreted mainly in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue after the stimulation of peroxisome proliferator activates receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1alpha) and subsequent secretion and cleavage of fibronectin type 3 domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5) by stimulus such as physical exercise and exposure to cold. One of the most important functions of irisin is the possible regulation of thermogenesis and regulation of energy metabolism by inducing browning of white adipose tissue. As such, irisin has garnered great interest as an attractive target to combat obesity. Irisin measurement is carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in plasma or serum (ELISA) or by the expression of FNDC5 mRNA.There are doubts whether higher or lower FNDC5/irisin levels are related to metabolic homeostasis, mainly in individuals with metabolic risk due to excess body fat.