Downregulation of proinflammatory liver gene expression by Justicia spicigera and kaempferitrin in a murine model of obesity-induced by a high-fat diet

Justicia spicigera is a plant used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat various diseases such as heart diseases and to improve blood circulation, with little scientific evidence. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of the leaves of the plant and of kaempferitrin (main active ingredient), on biochemical, physiological, and inflammation markers related to obesity induced by a high-fat diet in male Wistar rats for eight weeks. The results indicated that J. spicigera powder has the ability to significantly decrease (p ≤ 0.05) the percentage of accumulated fat, and consequently, weight gain, as well as serum triglyceride concentrations. In addition, both J. spicigera powder and kaempferitrin generated transcriptional adaptations by negatively modulating the expression of pro-inflammatory genes such as Tlr4, Tnf-α, Nlrp3, Caspase-1, Il-18, Il-1β, Srebp-1c, Ppar-γ and Ucp2 and overexpressing Ppar-α.