The flavonoid myricitrin-5-methyl ether is a potential drug candidate as a gastric lipase inhibitor for the treatment of obesity.

Lipid-based drug delivery systems are widely used for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, following oral intake, lipid excipients often undergo gastrointestinal lipolysis, which drastically affects drugs solubility and bioavailability. That's why developing new lipid excipients which are resistant to digestion would be of great interest. We studied here the potential role of the unconventional Chinese star anise whole seedpod oil (CSAO) as an alternative multifunctional lipid excipient. Pancreatic lipase-mediated digestion of the extracted crude oil emulsion was assessed in vitro. Pancreatic lipase, being a strict sn-1,3-regioselective lipase, showed a high (16-fold) olive oil to CSAO activity ratio, which could be attributed to fatty acids composition and triglycerides intramolecular structure. For the sake of comparison, the non-regioselective lipase Novozyme® 435 exhibited higher activity than pancreatic lipase on CSAO emulsion, perhaps due to its ability to release fatty acids from the internal sn-2 position of TAGs. Apart counteracting lipolysis, CSAO oil also showed additional biopharmaceutical benefits including moderate antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. Altogether, these findings highlight for the first time the potential use of star anise unconventional whole seedpod oil as a multifunctional lipid excipient for the development of new lipid formulations.

Natural inhibitors of digestive lipases offer promising alternatives to conventional obesity medications. This study screened nine medicinal plant extracts identifying the ethanolic bark extract of Cinnamomum cassia as the most potent inhibitor for gastric and pancreatic lipases. Using an integrated approach combining bioactivity-guided fractionation and mass spectrometry, we isolated the highly active fraction, F3-1-1, which exhibited dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effects against human and porcine pancreatic lipases, as well as dog gastric lipase (DGL). Further mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprint analysis identified cinncassiol A-19 glucoside as the main bioactive constituent. Notably, this compound forms covalent complexes with the catalytic peptide containing the Ser153 residue in DGL, characterized by a mass shift of +553.10 Da. Molecular docking simulations supported these results, demonstrating stable interactions within the catalytic pocket of DGL through hydrogen and hydrophobic bond interactions. These findings highlight C. cassia as a promising source of natural anti-obesity agents.

Natural inhibitors of digestive lipases offer promising alternatives to conventional obesity medications. This study screened nine medicinal plant extracts, identifying the ethanolic bark extract of Cinnamomum cassia as the most potent inhibitor for gastric and pancreatic lipases. Using an integrated approach combining bioactivity-guided fractionation and mass spectrometry, we isolated the highly active fraction, F3-1-1, which exhibited dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effects against human and porcine pancreatic lipases, as well as dog gastric lipase (DGL). Further mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprint analysis putatively annotated cinncassiol A-19 glucoside as a bioactive constituent. Notably, this compound was likely bound covalently to the catalytic peptide containing the Ser153 residue in DGL, characterized by a mass shift of +553.10 Da. Molecular docking simulations supported these suggestions, demonstrating stable interactions within the catalytic pocket of DGL through hydrogen and hydrophobic bond interactions. These findings highlight C. cassia as a promising source of natural anti-obesity agents.