EFFECT OF PASSION FRUIT SEEDFLOUR (Passiflora edulis) ON BODY WEIGHT, ADIPOSITY, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ADIPOSE TISSUE OF OBESE C57BL/6 MICES

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) industrial processing generates significant amounts of seeds, rich in dietary fiber and phenolic compounds, especially piceatannol, with beneficial potential in reducing central adiposity. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of defatted passion fruit seed flour (DPFSF) on body weight, adiposity, lipid profile, and oxidative stress in the adipose tissue in high-fat (HF) diet-induced obese mice. Thirty-six C57BL/6 mice were initially divided into two groups: AIN (standard AIN-93M diet) and HF group (n=24) (high-fat diet, 60% fat) for 8 weeks. The AIN group was used to confirm obesity induction in the HF animals. After this period, the animals were divided into two groups (n=12): (1) HF and (2) HF+DPFSF. Following 8 weeks of treatment, the animals were anesthetized and euthanized. Body weight, food intake, murinometric indices, serum levels of total cholesterol and fractions, triglycerides, atherogenic index, triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, Castelli I and II indices, and the concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the epididymal adipose tissue were evaluated. The project was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Federal University of Viçosa (CEUA/UFV) (Process No. 02/2025), and all experimental procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical principles of animal experimentation. Although food intake remained unchanged, regarding body composition, the HF+DPFSF group showed lower final body weight (32.20 ± 4.28 g vs. 39.21 ± 5.56 g), abdominal circumference (10.42  ± 0.99 cm vs 8.09 ± 0.92 cm), and adiposity percentage (8.71 ± 2.64% vs. 12.48 ± 2.28%) compared to the HF group (p<0.05). Despite total cholesterol and triglyceride lipid profiles remaining similar between the HF and HF+DPFSF groups, DPFSF supplementation improved cardiovascular risk by reducing the Atherogenic Index (1.99 ± 0.53 vs. 2.61 ± 0.60) and the Castelli I Index (2.99 ± 0.53 vs. 3.61 ± 0.60), with no changes observed in the Castelli II Index. In the epididymal adipose tissue, DPFSF reduced the concentrations of NO (80.33 ± 19.02 vs. 165.05 ± 46.80 uM/mg protein) and MDA (41.95 ± 12.44 vs. 68.86 ±  14.60 nmol/mg protein) compared to the HF control, while SOD did not differ. These results evidence that the bioactive compounds found in DPFSF were capable of mitigating induced obesity in mice, as well as metabolic disorders such as lipid profile markers, free radical production, and lipid peroxidation. These findings indicate that DPFSF is a food by-product with the potential to reduce obesity-related metabolic complications and associated oxidative damage. 

Acknowledges: CNPq, CAPES, PPGN-UFV.