Evaluation of Anti-obesity Effects of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Pomegranate Fruit Peel Using Anthropometrical Indices in Male Wistar Rats

The pomegranate fruit peel has been suggested in traditional medicine as an anti-obesity compound. Therefore، the study was carried out to evaluate the effects of aqueous or ethanolic extracts of pomegranate fruit peel on obesity and lipid profile in rat. In this experimental study، 24 Wistar male rats randomly divided into 4 equal groups (2 experimentals and 2 controls). The experimental groups A and E treated with aqueous or ethanolic extract of pomegranate peel at dose of 400 mg/kg، respectively، for 35 days. The control groups N and X respectively received 5mg/kg of saline and Xenical during the study as same as the experimental groups. The rats'' weight، body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were determined before and after investigation. Also at the end of study plasma lipid profile were measured. All data were analyzed by Prism software (ver- 3) and using paired samples t-test and ANOVA. Comparison of weight change before and after the intervention showed a significant reduction in the Group E and a significant increase in group N (p≤0. 05). Waist circumference was significantly increased in the experimental group A and control group N (p≤0. 05) and reduced in group X (p≤0. 05). There was no significant difference in plasma lipid profile between the groups. The ethanolic extract of pomegranate fruit peel can be considered as an anti-obesity compound in further studies.