Artemisia Annua Extract Ameliorates Hepato-Renal Dysfunctions in Obese Rats

Obesity is recognized as a multifactorial health condition characterized by excess body fat accumulation. Orlistat is a well-known effective anti-obesity therapeutic drug, however, like many other medications on the market, it has certain unpleasant side effects. Medical herbs have recently acquired popularity in the treatment of obesity. The current project's intention was to evaluate the effect of treatment with Artemisia annua extract (AAE) to ameliorate hepato-renal dysfunction in obese rats. 40 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 10). The 1^st group (Gp1) served as a negative control, and Gp2 was used as a positive control and given a high-fat diet (HFD) for a period of 12 weeks. For a period of 8 weeks, Gp3 and Gp4 received HFD and daily treatments of orlistat (30 mg/kg) or AAE (150 mg/kg), respectively. Hematological, biochemical, and histopathological parameters were determined. The results demonstrated that obese rats, Gp2, had hepato-renal impairment. Moreover, hepato-renal dysfunctions were exacerbated when orlistat was administered to obese rats of Gp3. In contrast, AAE-treated obese rats, Gp4, have shown alleviated hematological changes and resulted in considerable improvements in hepato-renal function. Taken together, AAE administration demonstrated potential ameliorative effects against hepato-renal dysfunctions in obese rats when compared to treatment with orlistat.