This study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation with ethanolic and aqueous extracts from the bark of the stem of Guazuma ulmifolia in mice submitted to a high-fat diet as well as to evaluate the chemical composition of these extracts. The chemical composition and antioxidant potential was evaluated in aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the stem bark. The in vivo test consisted of evaluating the effects of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the stem bark on C57BL/6 mice receiving a high-fat diet. The animals were evaluated for weight gain, feed consumption, visceral adiposity, serum, and inflammatory and hormonal parameters. The results of the chemical analyses corroborate those obtained by the literature, which reported gallocatechin, epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate. Compared with the ethanolic extract, the aqueous extract showed greater antioxidant capacity. Both extracts resulted in lower feed consumption in the animals, but they did not influence weight gain or visceral adiposity and resulted in varied changes in the lipid profile. In addition, they did not influence glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, or fasting blood glucose. Furthermore, the leptin levels increased, which may have contributed to satiety, but this was shown to have a negative impact on other inflammatory and hormonal parameters. Therefore, under the conditions of this study, the biologically active compounds present in the plant species Guazuma ulmifolia were not able to contribute to the treatment of metabolic changes related to the consumption of a high-fat diet.
Keywords: antioxidants; high-fat diet; medicinal plants; phenolic compounds.