Abstract

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF ANTI-OBESITY POLYHERBAL FORMULATION CONTAINING BRYONIA LACINIOSA AND FICUS RACEMOSA: A COMPREHENSIVE IN VITRO AND IN VIVO INVESTIGATION

Babli Patel*, Harshita Jain, Vaishali Yadav, Arpit Shrivastav

Adina institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sagar (M.P.), India

ABSTRACT

Obesity represents a global pandemic requiring safe and effective therapeutic interventions. Traditional medicinal plants offer promising alternatives to synthetic anti-obesity drugs with potentially fewer adverse effects. This study investigated the anti-obesity potential of a novel polyherbal formulation combining Bryonia laciniosa and Ficus racemosa extracts. Ethanolic extracts of B. laciniosa seeds and F. racemosa bark were prepared and characterized through phytochemical screening. In vitro antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH and FRAP assays, while pancreatic lipase inhibition was evaluated spectrophotometrically. Acute toxicity studies followed OECD guidelines. Anti-dyslipidemic effects were evaluated in Triton X-100-induced hyperlipidemic rats. A polyherbal tablet formulation was developed and optimized, followed by anti-obesity evaluation in high-fat diet-induced obese rats. Both extracts demonstrated significant antioxidant activity (IC₅₀: B. laciniosa 96.85 ± 0.04 μg/mL; F. racemosa 115.82 ± 0.06 μg/mL) and pancreatic lipase inhibition (IC₅₀: 27.70 ± 0.15 and 36.88 ± 0.14 μg/mL, respectively). In hyperlipidemic rats, treatment significantly reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL while increasing HDL levels (p < 0.01). The optimized polyherbal tablet (PHT4) demonstrated superior anti-obesity effects in high-fat diet-induced obese rats, significantly reducing body weight, serum lipids, and hepatic lipid accumulation compared to disease controls (p < 0.01). The polyherbal formulation combining B. laciniosa and F. racemosa extracts exhibits significant anti-obesity and anti-dyslipidemic properties through multiple mechanisms including pancreatic lipase inhibition and antioxidant activity. These findings support the potential clinical application of this formulation for obesity management.

Keywords: Anti-obesity, Bryonia laciniosa, Ficus racemosa, polyherbal formulation, pancreatic lipase inhibition, dyslipidemia.