Anti-obesity therapeutics potential of plant genetic resources of Bangladesh and their conservation at Bangladesh Agricultural University Botanical Garden

A K M Golam Sarwar, Md Riyadh Arefin, M Farhan Ishmam, M Ashrafuzzaman

Obesity, a global health issue affecting 650 million people, leads to chronic diseases and health impairments. Anti-obesity drugs are expensive and may cause side effects, raising significant concerns. One hundred eighty-eight medicinal plant species from 157 genera and 62 families in Bangladesh exhibit anti-obesity activity. Fabaceae (syn. Leguminosae) is the largest family, consisting of 25 species, while Citrus is the largest genus with seven species. The leaf is the most commonly used plant part, followed by the fruit. Plant secondary metabolites, including acids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, glycosides, tannins, carboxylic acids, (poly)phenols, and flavonoids, serve as effective interventions in a complex system approach to obesity. Among these medicinal plants, 110 species are conserved at the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) Botanical Garden, and more than 50 species are cultivated on BAU farms and in homestead gardens. Twenty species are conserved both in the Botanical Garden and cultivated as field/horticultural crops and ornamentals. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Taxa, the current (global) status of these species is data deficient for 11, least concern for 73, near threatened for 1, vulnerable for 3, endangered for 2, and no assessment has yet been performed for 98 species. Future studies should focus on enhancing efficacy and reducing the side effects of conventional anti-obesity medications.