Xanthohumol lowers body weight and fasting plasma glucose in obese male Zucker fa/fa rats

Daily administration of xanthohumol (16.9mg/kg) for 6weeks resulted in lower body weight and lower fasting plasma glucose in obese male but not in female Zucker fa/fa rats. [Display omitted] ► Zucker fa/fa rats were treated with xanthohumol from hops for 6weeks. ► Xanthohumol lowered fasting plasma glucose in male animals at a dose of 16.9mg/kg. ► Xanthohumol lowered body weight in male animals at a dose of 16.9mg/kg. ► Steady-state plasma and liver tissue levels of xanthohumol agree with dose–effect relationships. Obesity contributes to increased risk for several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Xanthohumol, a prenylated flavonoid from hops (Humulus lupulus), was tested for efficacy on biomarkers of metabolic syndrome in 4week old Zucker fa/fa rats, a rodent model of obesity. Rats received daily oral doses of xanthohumol at 0, 1.86, 5.64, and 16.9mg/kg BW for 6weeks. All rats were maintained on a high fat (60% kcal) AIN-93G diet for 3weeks to induce severe obesity followed by a normal AIN-93G (15% kcal fat) diet for the last 3weeks of the study. Weekly food intake and body weight were recorded. Plasma cholesterol, glucose, insulin, triglyceride, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were assessed using commercial assay kits. Plasma and liver tissue levels of XN and its metabolites were determined by liquid–chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Plasma and liver tissue levels of xanthohumol were similar between low and medium dose groups and significantly (p