The DOI matches its Crossref record; 307 of the 311 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Natural products as novel anti-obesity agents: insights into mechanisms of action and potential for therapeutic management
Open accessAbstract
Obesity affects more than 10% of the adult population globally. Despite the introduction of diverse medications aimed at combating fat accumulation and obesity, a significant number of these pharmaceutical interventions are linked to substantial occurrences of severe adverse events, occasionally leading to their withdrawal from the market. Natural products serve as attractive sources for anti-obesity agents as many of them can alter the host metabolic processes and maintain glucose homeostasis via metabolic and thermogenic stimulation, appetite regulation, pancreatic lipase and amylase inhibition, insulin sensitivity enhancing, adipogenesis inhibition and adipocyte apoptosis induction. In this review, we shed light on the biological processes that control energy balance and thermogenesis as well as metabolic pathways in white adipose tissue browning, we also highlight the anti-obesity potential of natural products with their mechanism of action. Based on previous findings, the crucial proteins and molecular pathways involved in adipose tissue browning and lipolysis induction are uncoupling protein-1, PR domain containing 16, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ in addition to Sirtuin-1 and AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. Given that some phytochemicals can also lower proinflammatory substances like TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1 secreted from adipose tissue and change the production of adipokines like leptin and adiponectin, which are important regulators of body weight, natural products represent a treasure trove for anti-obesity agents. In conclusion, conducting comprehensive research on natural products holds the potential to accelerate the development of an improved obesity management strategy characterized by heightened efficacy and reduced incidence of side effects.
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“Natural and emerging compounds such as silibinin, Lipigo, Gymnema sylvestre, berberine, and vutiglabridin appear well tolerated in early studies, but their small sample sizes and short follow-up preclude strong conclusions [14,15,17,22].”
From Gastrointestinal Adverse Effects of Anti-Obesity Medications in Non-Diabetic Adults: A Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as [22]
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“Natural and investigational products such as Gymnema sylvestre and berberine likely act through local modulation of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism, producing mild, transient discomfort [14,22].”
From Gastrointestinal Adverse Effects of Anti-Obesity Medications in Non-Diabetic Adults: A Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as [22]
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“Natural and emerging compounds such as silibinin, Lipigo, Gymnema sylvestre, berberine, and vutiglabridin appear well tolerated in early studies, but their small sample sizes and short follow-up preclude strong conclusions [14,15,17,22].”
From Gastrointestinal Adverse Effects of Anti-Obesity Medications in Non-Diabetic Adults: A Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as [22]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Shaik Mohamed Sayed, U. F., Moshawih, S., Goh, H. P., Kifli, N., Gupta, G., Singh, S. K., Chellappan, D. K., Dua, K., Hermansyah, A., Ser, H. L., Ming, L. C., & Goh, B. H.
- Affiliations
- Universiti Brunei Darussalam (BN)
- Saveetha University (IN)
- Lovely Professional University (IN)
- IMU University (MY)
- University of Technology Sydney (AU)
- Universitas Airlangga (ID)
- Sunway University (MY)
- Monash University Malaysia (MY)
- Corresponding author
- Moshawih, Said
- Hermansyah, Andi
- Goh, Bey Hing
- ORCID
- Venue
- Frontiers in Pharmacology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2023-06-20
- Volume
- 14
- Pages
- 1182937-1182937
- ISSN
- 1663-9812 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10318930
- OpenAlex
- W4381429870
- Cited by
- 136
- References
- 311
- Citations by year
- 2026: 34 · 2025: 57 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 7
- FWCI
- 4.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Pharmacology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Monash University Research Portal (Monash University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Sunway Institutional Repository (Sunway University) (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Greater South Information System
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Pharmacology and Obesity Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Keywords
- natural products, anti-obesity drugs, obesity, thermogenesis, adipose tissue browning, lipolysis, UCP1, PPARγ, SIRT1, AMPK signaling, appetite regulation, pancreatic lipase inhibition, insulin sensitivity, adipogenesis, adipocyte apoptosis, adipokines, leptin, adiponectin, inflammation, energy balance, phytochemicals
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