Article Studies on the Inhibitory Effect of Eugenia aromaticum Extract

To develop functional food and anti-obesity drug through inhibition of dietary lipid absorption, inhibitory effects of herb extracts on pancreatic lipase were investigated. Due to high yield and simplicity of isolation, lipase inhibitor (ELI) was isolated from ethyl acetate extract of Eugenia aromaticum, which showed highest inhibitory activity, and characterized for development of novel functional material. Stability of ELI at high temperature and low pH was investigated. Results showed ELI is relatively stable under thermal and acidic conditions, reversible, and noncompetitive inhibitor of pancreatic lipase. Key words: Lipase inhibitor, Eugenia aromaticum, Obesity, Pancreatic lipase Obesity is presently one of the main social health problems in many developed countries due to the development of major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. 2,7) Increased intake of foods with high energy and dietary fat content leads to increased calorie intake, thereby promoting body fat storage and body weight gain in humans and animals. 3,4) Globally, because dietary life style is changing to western style diet, which contains high fat level and calorie, obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. Therefore, numerous studies are undergoing to determine the therapeutics for this critical public problem of obesity. One of the therapeutic approaches for preventing obesity is to retard the absorption of fatty acid through the inhibition of lipase in the digestive organs