Vitex agnus-castus (VAC) is a plant that has recently been used to treat the symptoms of menopause, by its actions on the central\nnervous system. However, little is known about its actions on disturbances in lipid metabolism and nonalcoholic fat liver disease\n(NAFLD), frequently associated with menopause. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats exhibit increased adiposity and NAFLD 13 weeks\nafter ovary removal and were used as animal models of estrogen deficiency. The rats were treated with crude extract (CE) and a\nbutanolic fraction ofVAC(ButF) and displayed the beneficial effects of a reduction in the adiposity index and a complete reversion of\nNAFLD. NAFLD reversion was accompanied by a general improvement in the liver redox status. The activities of some antioxidant\nenzymes were restored and the mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide production was significantly reduced in animals treated with CE\nand the ButF. It can be concluded that the CE and ButF from Vitex agnus-castus were effective in preventing NAFLD and oxidative\nstress, which are frequent causes of abnormal liver functions in the postmenopausal period.
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