Role of Natural Products in the Treatment of Obesity: Nanotechnological Perspectives

Obesity is a major disorder characterized by excessive fat in the body. Various factors responsible for obesity are dietary, lifestyle, genetic, and environmental factors. The last two decades witnessed an enormous increase in obesity and its comorbidities among people worldwide, thus making it the fifth major cause of human death. As per the recent report of WHO, a total of 38 million children (age < 5 years) were overweight or obese in 2019, and according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report, almost 1 in 4 people are obese. For the treatment of obesity, various synthetic drugs are available but on the other side, these are associated with severe adverse effects. To overcome this problem and in the view of the current situation, researchers emphasize more on the development of natural products for the management of obesity. Primary and secondary metabolites like polyphenols, alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids derived from various plants worldwide are used to develop a formulation for the management of obesity. The phytoconstituents exert their action by suppressing the proliferation of adipocytes, inducing apoptosis of adipocytes, inhibiting lipogenesis, activating lipases, stimulating fatty acid β-oxidation, diminishing inflammatory responses, or conquering oxidative stress. This review also highlights the importance of the nanoencapsulation technique which enhances the efficacy of phytoconstituents by improving solubility, stability, and bioavailability to fight against obesity and comorbidity.