Geraniol reverses obesity by improving conversion of WAT to BAT in high fat diet induced obese rats by inhibiting HMGCoA reductase

Objectives: To evaluate the protective effect of geraniol on high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity in rats and determine its molecular mechanism. Methods: Male Wistar rats were fed an HFD for 4 weeks to induce obesity. Geraniol (200 or 400 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered for the following 4 weeks; a standard group received atorvastatin. Blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and lipid profile were assessed. In silico docking was performed to evaluate geraniol’s interaction with HMG-CoA reductase. Results: Geraniol-treated rats showed significant attenuation of HFD-induced increases in body weight, fasting glucose, and dyslipidemia compared with negative controls, along with reduced organ and adipose depot weights. Docking indicated geraniol interacts with HMG-CoA reductase (binding energy −5.13 kcal/mol). Conclusions: Geraniol reduces obesity by promoting conversion of white adipose tissue (WAT) to brown adipose tissue (BAT) and interacts with HMG-CoA reductase in HFD-induced obese rats.