Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder being related to important health consequences as a risk for serious chronic diseases. In
our laboratories, we have been performing various experiments on the pharmacological effects of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum
perforatum L; SJW) including metabolic and endocrine actions in animals. It has an effect on the body weight upon its subacute
use. Acute and subacute administrations of SJW extracts seem to increase the bile secretion both in healthy and CCl4-pretreated
rats. Choleretic activity observed in our studies is important in the utilization of lipids. Other studies are in general agreement
with our findings i.e., hypolipidaemic activity of SJW have been reported in fructose-fed rats. SJW has also beneficial effects on the
carbohydrate metabolism. Our studies have shown that SJW extracts normalize hyperglycaemia in rats with streptozotocin-induced
diabetes. This observation has been confirmed by the other laboratories which report blood glucose lowering and and blood insulin
normalizing actions of SJW. Accordingly, beneficial effects of SJW extracts on insulin resistance and lipid metabolic disorder have
been reported in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Additionally, we have observed a protective effect of SJW on the liver which is
the center of metabolism. The hepatoprotective and choleretic activities observed in our laboratories are prominent in hypericinrich
fractions of SWJ extracts. Finally, antioxidant and tissue regerating effects of SWJ extracts are supportive activites observed. All
together, findings stronlgy suggest that SJW may be important to control body weight being used for the ethnomedical management
of metabolic disorders for many years.

Biography

Yusuf Ozturk has completed his PhD from Ankara University in 1985. He was the Former Director of Graduate Institute of Health and is now the Head of Department of
Pharmacology and the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Anadolu University. He has published more than 150 papers in reputed journals cited around 1600 times and has
been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute. Participating in many scientific juries, boards and commissions, he has various national and international awards and
prizes, acknowledging top and distguished review service.