• Hong Sheng Cheng, Boon Hee Goh, Sonia Chew Wen Phang, Muhammad Mubarak Amanullah, So Ha Ton, Uma Devi Palanisamy, Khalid Abdul Kadir, and Joash Ban Lee Tan.
• School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
• Nutrition. 2020 Nov 1; 79-80: 110973.

ObjectivesMetabolic syndrome (MetS), a multiplex risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, is increasingly prevalent worldwide. Ellagitannin geraniin, a polyphenol found in the rind of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), has demonstrated therapeutic effects against metabolism dysfunction. The aim of this study was to characterize the metabolic effects and possible mechanism of geraniin in rats with MetS induced by a high-fat diet (HFD).MethodsMetS was induced in Sprague Dawley rats on an HFD, followed by a daily oral gavage of geraniin (25 mg/kg) for 4 wk. The outcomes of geraniin-treated rats were compared with those of untreated rats on either a control diet or an HFD and with rats with MetS treated with metformin on a daily basis (200 mg/kg).ResultsThe supplementation of geraniin ameliorated multiple metabolic abnormalities caused by HFD, including hypertension, impaired glucose and lipid metabolism, ectopic fat deposition in the visceral fat and liver, and disturbed antioxidant mechanism and inflammatory response. The benefits conferred by geraniin were comparable to metformin. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a profound influence of geraniin on the hepatic expression profiles. The lipid and steroid metabolic processes that were aberrantly activated by HFD were suppressed by geraniin. Based on the differential transcriptomes, geraniin also exerted a significant modulatory effect on the expression of mitochondrial genes, potentially influencing the mitochondrial activity and leading to the observed beneficial effects.ConclusionGeraniin supplementation mitigated metabolic anomalies of MetS in rats, making it an attractive drug candidate for further investigation.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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