Abstract
Metabolic Syndrome (MS) denotes a growing threat to population health. Its prevalence has increased dramatically during recent years. Pomegranate Extract (PE) possesses strong hypoglycemic and antioxidant properties. The present work aims to determine whether PE has a therapeutic effect against MS in rats. Male rats (n = 40) were divided into two main groups. The first group; control negative rats (n = 10) and the second group (n = 30) were fed a high-fructose diet (HF; 50%) for six weeks to induce MS. Then this group was divided equally into three subgroups, control positive (MS), and PE treated groups; rats received orally PE at dose levels of 500 and 750 mg/kg body weight (BW)/day. After 8 weeks of treatment and at the end of the experiment period (14 weeks). Pro-oxidants malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. Glucose, insulin, leptin hormone, lipid profile parameters, and uric acid were also measured. Liver tissue samples were examined as well. The results showed that ingestion of a HF diet led rats to exhibit significant (p < 0.001) hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hyperuricemia. Additionally, the diet induced a significant (p < 0.001) increase in leptin hormone and MDA levels in MS group after 14 weeks when compared with control rats. Examination of liver tissues revealed fatty changes of hepatocytes, collagen fibers deposition, marked dilatations, and congestion of hepatic portal blood vessels. Treatment with PE significantly ameliorates all the tested biochemical parameters and helps overcome the histopathological alteration in liver tissues compared with the MS untreated group. The improvement was more pronounced in MS treated with 750 mg/kg BW. It was concluded that PE has a beneficial role in alleviating MS symptoms and oxidative stress induced by HF diet. Therefore, PE may be used as a beneficial supplement for patients with MS.