Effects of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seed phenolic extract on murinometric parameters, lipid profile, and oxidative stress in adipose tissue of rats fed a high-fat diet

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seeds, although discarded by the food industry, represent an important source of phenolic compounds, particularly piceatannol, which has been associated with the attenuation of metabolic disorders induced by diets rich in saturated fats. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of passion fruit seed phenolic extract (PE) on murinometric parameters, lipid profile, and oxidative stress in the adipose tissue of mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity after an eight-week obesity induction period. C57BL/6 mice were distributed into four experimental groups (n = 12): AIN (standard AIN-93G diet), HF (high-fat diet), HF + PE, and HF + purified piceatannol (PIC). The extract was incorporated into the diet at a dose equivalent to 20 mg of piceatannol/kg body weight. After eight weeks of treatment, body weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), adipose tissue accumulation, biochemical parameters, and oxidative stress markers in epididymal adipose tissue were evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed applying Student’s t-test to compare AIN and HF groups, and ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test to compare the HF group with treated groups (p < 0.05). Treatments with PE and PIC reduced murinometric parameters compared to the HF group, including final body weight (30.80 ± 1.69 and 29.74 ± 2.10 g), waist circumference (7.88 ± 0.45 and 7.37 ± 0.53 cm), BMI (0.37 ± 0.03 and 0.34 ± 0.05 kg/m²), and adipose tissue accumulation (2.42 ± 0.66 and 2.11 ± 0.75 g), respectively, indicating lower body fat deposition. Regarding the lipid profile, the HF group showed increased total cholesterol (157.05 ± 14.78 mg/dL), LDL-c (25.99 ± 6.66 mg/dL), and Castelli II index (0.50 ± 0.13), with no differences after treatments. Concerning oxidative stress, HF+PE and HF+PIC groups showed reductions in nitric oxide (NO) levels (78.42 ± 22.16 and 61.82 ± 16.34 µM NO/mg protein) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (41.10 ± 13.18 and 27.08 ± 9.52 nmol/mg protein), respectively. Additionally, the HF+PIC group showed reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (221.56 ± 68.52 U/mg protein) compared with the HF group (400.08 ± 89.43 U/mg protein). These findings demonstrate that passion fruit seed phenolic extract effectively attenuated alterations induced by the high-fat diet, reducing body adiposity and oxidative stress markers in adipose tissue. Furthermore, these results highlight the potential of the extract, particularly due to the presence of piceatannol, as a promising source of bioactive compounds for preventing obesity-associated metabolic disorders. The authors acknowledge CAPES, CNPq, FAPEMIG and PPGN-UFV for their financial support.