Natural Products-Based Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitors for Obesity Treatment

Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic disorder, majorly caused due to high-fat diet associated with decline in physical activity. Recent decades have seen a rapid upsurge in the obese population with over 650 million obese adults worldwide, as indicated by the recent WHO statistics. Further, a drastic change in the global food system that resulted in overconsumption of energy has transformed obesity into a global epidemic. Pancreatic lipase inhibition is one among the several targets explored for the treatment of obesity and is considered safe and effective due to the fact that the inhibitor does not require any systemic absorption. Orlistat, a potent pancreatic lipase inhibitor, had been clinically approved since 1998 for long-term treatment of obesity. However, recent FDA reports have cited severe adverse effects with long-term use of orlistat, including hepatotoxicity and acute pancreatitis, highlighting the urge for safer and effective antiobesity therapeutics. Natural products have been an effective source for the treatment of various disorders and diseases while producing lesser adverse effects. Therefore, the present chapter discusses the various natural products explored for their potential towards pancreatic lipase inhibition under different chemical classes. Furthermore, a preliminary structure-activity relationship has been discussed.