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Nutrients
Volume 17
Issue 19
10.3390/nu17193178
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Article

Preventive Effects of an Opuntia stricta var. dillenii Extract on Lipid Metabolism in a High-Fat High-Fructose Diet-Induced Obesity Animal Model

by
Iker Gómez-García
1,2,3,
Alfredo Fernández-Quintela
1,2,3,4,*,
Paula Oliver
4,5,6,
Catalina Picó
4,5,6,7,
M. Pilar Cano
8,
María P. Portillo
1,2,3,4 and
Jenifer Trepiana
1,2,3,4
1
Nutrition and Obesity Group, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
2
Lucio Lascaray Research Institute, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
3
Bioaraba Health Research Institute, 01009 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
4
CIBERobn Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
5
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology (Nutrigenomics, Biomarkers and Risk Evaluation (NuBE) Group), University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain
6
Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma, Spain
7
Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IAIB), 07122 Palma, Spain
8
Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Food Functionality, Biotechnology and Food Microbiology Department, Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL) (CSIC-UAM), 28049 Madrid, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2025, 17(19), 3178; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193178 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 9 September 2025 / Revised: 6 October 2025 / Accepted: 7 October 2025 / Published: 8 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Compounds and Functional Foods in Human Health—2nd Edition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Background: Due to the continuous global rise in obesity prevalence, foods rich in bioactive compounds are increasingly recognised for the management of several diseases. Objective: The present study aims to investigate whether an Opuntia stricta var. dillenii fruit peel extract, rich in betalains and phenolic compounds, is able to prevent obesity induced by a high-fat high-fructose diet in rats, along with the potential mechanisms of action underlying this effect. Results: The supplementation with Opuntia stricta var. dillenii extract obtained from the peel fruit partially prevents obesity development by attenuating HFHF-induced fat accumulation. This effect was observed predominantly in visceral adipose tissue, rather than in the subcutaneous depot. The obesity prevention was accompanied by the improvement of serum lipid profile. The mechanisms underlying the extract anti-obesity effect which were analysed in epididymal adipose tissue, involve preventing the rise in the availability of triglyceride synthesis substrates induced by high-fat high-fructose feeding, the inhibition of triglyceride assembly, and in the case of the high dose, increased lipolysis. Conclusions: According to these results, the peel wastes of Opuntia stricta var. dillenii fruit represent a promising natural source of bioactive compounds for obesity prevention. Nevertheless, these preclinical effects should be replicated in further studies in human beings.
Keywords: Opuntia stricta var. dillenii; obesity; prickly pear; betalains; phenolic compounds; adipose tissue; high-fat high-fructose diet Opuntia stricta var. dillenii; obesity; prickly pear; betalains; phenolic compounds; adipose tissue; high-fat high-fructose diet

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MDPI and ACS Style

Gómez-García, I.; Fernández-Quintela, A.; Oliver, P.; Picó, C.; Cano, M.P.; Portillo, M.P.; Trepiana, J. Preventive Effects of an Opuntia stricta var. dillenii Extract on Lipid Metabolism in a High-Fat High-Fructose Diet-Induced Obesity Animal Model. Nutrients 2025, 17, 3178. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193178

AMA Style

Gómez-García I, Fernández-Quintela A, Oliver P, Picó C, Cano MP, Portillo MP, Trepiana J. Preventive Effects of an Opuntia stricta var. dillenii Extract on Lipid Metabolism in a High-Fat High-Fructose Diet-Induced Obesity Animal Model. Nutrients. 2025; 17(19):3178. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193178

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gómez-García, Iker, Alfredo Fernández-Quintela, Paula Oliver, Catalina Picó, M. Pilar Cano, María P. Portillo, and Jenifer Trepiana. 2025. "Preventive Effects of an Opuntia stricta var. dillenii Extract on Lipid Metabolism in a High-Fat High-Fructose Diet-Induced Obesity Animal Model" Nutrients 17, no. 19: 3178. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193178

APA Style

Gómez-García, I., Fernández-Quintela, A., Oliver, P., Picó, C., Cano, M. P., Portillo, M. P., & Trepiana, J. (2025). Preventive Effects of an Opuntia stricta var. dillenii Extract on Lipid Metabolism in a High-Fat High-Fructose Diet-Induced Obesity Animal Model. Nutrients, 17(19), 3178. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17193178

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