Pterostilbene alleviates Cafeteria diet-induced Obesity and underlying Depression in Adolescent mice through SIRT1 mediated Leptin-Ghrelin signalling pathway

Abstract ID 93477 Poster Board 305 Cafeteria diet (CD), though unhealthy is the most preferred diet in children and adolescents. It leads to the development of childhood obesity, poor self-esteem, and depression due to transient effects on brain development. Herbal nutritional supplements are novel inclusion in the management of obesity and mental well-being. Pterostilbene (PTE) is a phytoconstituent present in plants such as blueberries, grapes, and Pterocarpus marsupium and known to prevent obesity in in vivo studies. In the present study adolescent Swiss albino mice were fed CD for 10 weeks and the development of obesity was assessed by measuring body weight, abdominal circumference. Forced swim test and tail suspension test were performed to assess obesity induced depression. From day 70, test drug PTE (10, 20, 40 mg/kg), standard drugs cetilistat and fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) were administered orally for 4 weeks. Post treatment, PTE-treated animals showed reduction in BW.The amelioration of depression-like behavior was assessed using sucrose preference, open field test, marble burying, and resident intruder test in comparison with the CD group. Insulin resistance (IR) was mitigated by PTE and serum lipid profile, antioxidant enzyme, inflammatory cytokines (NF-κB, IL-6, TNF) and cortisol levels were restored to normal levels. PTE also recovered the morphological impairment of the brain and adipose tissue and increased the Silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1), leptin, and ghrelin receptors gene expression in the brain. Thus it can be concluded that PTE-inhibited obesity-induced depression like behavior in adolescent mice may be via inhibiting IR, modulating neuroinflammation and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysfunction and upregulating SIRT1 mediated Leptin-Ghrelin signalling.