Allicin-rich garlic extract alleviates high-fat diet-induced complications in rats: A nutrigenomic study

The remedial effects of garlic in various metabolic complications have been attributed to a variety of organosulfur compounds such as allicin, diallyl sulfides, alliin and allyl trisulfides. The present study was designed to prepare an aqueous extract of garlic with stable allicin and its biological evaluation on tissue-specific nutrigenomic effects in the prevention of High-fat diet (HFD)-induced weight gain and related complications in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Aqueous Allicin-rich garlic extract (ARGE) was prepared and characterized for stability of allicin using HPLC. For biological evaluation, animals were fed with either normal pellet diet (NPD), HFD, HFD along with ARGE (1ml/kg p.o.) and ARGE per se (1ml/kg p.o.) for 16 weeks. Chronic administration of ARGE prevented HFD-induced weight gain, adipose tissue hypertrophy, insulin resistance and improved overall glucose homeostasis. Transcriptional analysis of different tissues highlighted that ARGE promoted browning, improved glucose metabolism and appetite regulation. Overall, this study presents ARGE as a potential nutraceutical for the prevention of obesity and related comorbidities.