Compound In Chinese Medicinal Plant Thwarts Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes In Mice

In a mouse study, Japanese researchers discovered that a compound present in a flowering plant used in Chinese medicine may inhibit development of metabolic disorders associated with obesity, diabetes and fatty liver disease. Iisoliquiritigenin from the plant glycyrrhiza uralensis (Gan Cao) did a good job of inhibiting production of a high-fat, diet-induced inflammation factor (IL-1beta) in fat tissue, compared with other inflammation inhibitors, in one of the groups of mice. The researchers said that their findings could lead to development of a new herbal medication for obesity-related diseases.