Effect of Citrus Limon Essential Oil on Lipid Profile and Obesity in Wistar Rats

(Souhaila Dalichaouche-Benchaoui , Meriem Gueracheha and Asma Boutebsou)

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Abstract

Obesity causes many pathologies; no therapeutic axis has provided an effective solution to this problem. The use of herbal medicine with healthy food and physical activity is recommended, and essential oils are the best known of these natural substances. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of Citrus limon essential oil on body weight and lipid profile. The plant material is the lemon; the extraction method is hydrodistillation. The experiment lasted 20 days and involved 15 female rats (2 to 3 months old) weighing between 160g and 230g. The rats were divided into 3 groups: the first receiving a standard diet, the second receiving a high-fat diet, and the third receiving a high-fat diet and treated with essential oil. The extraction yield is 1.69%. The physicochemical characteristics comply with AFNOR. This study shows that a high-lipid diet induces obesity characterized by hyperlipidemia. Intraperitoneal administration of the essential oil caused a decrease in body weight, abdominal circumference, plasma total cholesterol, and triglycerides and an increase in HDL-cholesterol. Considering this study, we found that lemon essential oil has beneficial effects on metabolic alterations. Its inclusion in the diet may help improve the metabolic profile and reduce the incidence of obesity and its long-term complications.

KEYWORDS
Abdominal circumference, animal model, body weight, citrus, hyperlipidemia

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