Original Research 55 Nutrafoods (2013) 12:55-63 DOI 10.1007/s13749-013-0015-9 The effect of Mexican herbal infusions on diet-induced insulin resistance Diego Hernández-Saavedra, Hebert L. Hernández-Montiel, Claudia I. Gamboa-Gómez, Luis M. Salgado, Rosalía Reynoso-Camacho Received: 11 December 2012 / Accepted: 9 April 2013 © Springer Healthcare – CEC Editore 2013 Correspondence to: Luis M. Salgado lmsalgador@ipn.mx Abstract Plants that are traditionally used by the Mexican population, including Calendula officinalis Linn., Salvia officinalis and Hypericum perforatum, possess important nutraceutical properties and have been empirically tested as treatments for diverse diseases and inflammation. Infusions prepared with these plants at 1% (w/v) were tested for their phenolic compound content and in vitro antioxidant activity and administered to rats fed high fructose and sat- urated fat diets for 12 weeks. The total phenol and flavonoid content and DPPH and ABTS + antioxi- dant activity were higher for the H. perforatum in- fusion group. Body weight gain was prevented by all of the infusion treatments, and a significant re- duction in adipocyte volume and fat content was observed only after treatment with H. perforatum and S. officinalis; both infusions improved the gly- caemic state and insulin resistance. Only the H. perforatum infusion enhanced adiponectin levels and decreased serum leptin and TNF-α levels. In conclusion, infusions prepared with certain plants could be useful to treat obesity, insulin resistance and systemic inflammation. Introduction Obesity is a multifactorial disease that is considered a risk factor for several illnesses, such as metabolic syndrome, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and dia- betes mellitus. Obesity is also related to certain al- terations of the immune response [1]. Normally, obesity develops due to the excessive consumption of fats and carbohydrates accompanied by a lack of physical activity; however, there are other fac- tors, such as genetics, that increase the risk of being overweight [2]. Furthermore, adipose tissue is no longer considered to be an inert tissue that func- tions solely as an energy store. Several compounds within this tissue have been characterised and cer- tain soluble factors known as cytokines are be- lieved to provide an important link between obe- Keywords: Hypericum perforatum, Salvia officinalis, Calendula officinalis, obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation 13Healthcare L.M. Salgado (•) CICATA-Qro, Instituto Politecnico Nacional Querétaro 76090, Mexico tel 52(442)229-1291 fax 52(442)229-1291 lmsalgador@ipn.mx D. Hernández-Saavedra, C.I. Gamboa-Gómez, R. Reynoso-Camacho Research and Graduate Studies in Food Science Universidad Autonóma de Queretaro Querétaro 76010, Mexico H.L. Hernández-Montiel Department of Biomedical Research School of Medicine Universidad Autonóma de Querétaro Querétaro 76176, Mexico