Hypolipidemic effects of ethanol extracts of Citrus depressa and Annona atemoya, typical plant foodstuffs in Okinawa, Japan on KKAy mice fed with moderately high fat diet

Okinawa is an isolated island prefecture of Japan and is known for the longest life expectancy and low disability rate. We therefore focused on the effects of traditional Okinawan fruits Citrus depressa and Annona atemoya consumed by the Okinawan population. Repeated oral administration of ethanol extracts of C. depressa and A. atemoya potently lowered the plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations of KKAy mice fed a moderately high fat diet for 4 weeks. Since diet intake and body weight were not reduced following administration of the C. depressa extract, TG absorption from the intestine is unlikely inhibited by this extract. Our previous study showed that the A. atemoya extract possesses a potent inhibitory effect on adipogenesis of 3T3 adipocytes. Thus, reduced fatty acid mobilization from the adipose tissue by the A. atemoya extract may result in the reduction in TG synthesis in the liver. This is the first report on the hypolipidemic effects of C. depressa and A. atemoya. Their extracts of these fruits are expected to be useful for the prevention of life style-related diseases.