JP5122924B2 - Anti-obesity agent - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an anti-obesity agent, a lipolysis promoter, an adipocyte differentiation inhibitor, a blood neutral fat increase inhibitor, and an adiponectin production promoter characterized by containing an extract of devil scrow.

  In recent years, in Japan, obesity due to excessive intake of calories and lack of exercise due to a rich diet has increased rapidly. Obesity is known to cause hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension, and the state in which multiple risk factors have accumulated in one individual for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and impaired glucose tolerance, especially in the context of obesity. Even if the individual symptoms are mild, the risk of ischemic heart disease is extremely high, so it is a social problem as metabolic syndrome.

  Obesity is a state in which neutral fat is excessively accumulated in fat cells. The main causes of obesity are excessive calorie intake and lack of exercise as described above, but many other factors such as constitutional factors, metabolic factors, dietary factors, mental factors, and central factors are involved. Various methods for preventing and improving obesity have been proposed from various fields.

Representative anti-obesity agents include those that prevent and improve obesity by preventing digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and lipids.
For example, one or two or more selected from the group consisting of an α-amylase inhibitor (Patent Document 1) characterized by containing okogi or an extract thereof (Patent Document 1), Hakutou, Mitsumouka, etc. It is the fat absorption inhibitor (patent document 2) characterized.

  A lipolysis promoter has been proposed as an agent that actively decomposes neutral fat in fat cells to prevent and improve obesity. For example, it is a lipolytic agent (Patent Document 3) containing an extract of the genus Raffle genus plant as an active ingredient (Patent Document 3), a pericarp or leaf of a citrus family plant, or a lipolysis accelerator (Patent Document 4) comprising these extracts. .

As a method for preventing obesity by reducing the number of adipocytes themselves, an adipocyte differentiation inhibitor has been proposed.
Traditionally, adipocyte differentiation was thought not to occur physiologically after puberty, but in recent years, as the number of adipocytes increases even after adulthood, it is suppressed. However, it is attracting attention as one of the effective means for preventing obesity.
For example, a novel glycoside contained in a plant such as an adipocyte differentiation inhibitor (Patent Document 5) or an Asteraceae chamomile which contains a component extracted from a seed and / or a foliage of the above-ground part as an active ingredient. It is a differentiation inhibitor of preadipocytes as an active ingredient (Patent Document 6).

In general, a state where the value of neutral fat in the blood is 150 mg / dL or more is called hyperlipidemia. As hyperlipidemia progresses, it is known that neutral fat deposits on the blood vessel wall and causes arteriosclerosis, and further leads to serious diseases such as ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disorder. In addition, triglycerides rapidly absorbed in the body are released into the blood vessels, and most of them accumulate in fat cells without being converted to energy, so the amount of triglycerides in blood has a close relationship with obesity. Have.
Examples of the blood neutral fat elevation inhibitor include, for example, a blood neutral fat elevation inhibitor (Patent Document 7) containing an extract of an aqueous ethanol solution of dried perilla as an active ingredient, and Yunnan black tea extract as an active ingredient. A postprandial blood neutral fat elevation inhibitor (Patent Document 8) is disclosed.

Adiponectin is a cytokine that is specifically produced and secreted from adipocytes of adipose tissue, and is closely involved in energy balance and sugar or lipid metabolism (Non-patent Document 1). Although adiponectin is secreted from adipocytes, it is known that the blood concentration decreases due to obesity and the risk of cardiovascular disease increases (Non-patent Document 2). Adiponectin has been reported to promote fat burning by activating AMP kinase in skeletal muscle and liver (Non-patent Document 3), and is closely related to obesity. For this reason, various adiponectin production promoters have been proposed to increase the blood adiponectin concentration.
For example, an adiponectin production promoter characterized by containing an extract or processed product of nutmeg as an active ingredient (Patent Document 9), an adiponectin production promoter containing a hot water extract of Cordyceps sinensis as an active ingredient (Patent Document) 10).

  However, the effects of the above-mentioned lipolysis promoter, adipocyte differentiation inhibitor, blood neutral fat elevation inhibitor, and adiponectin production promoter are not all satisfactory, and in particular, multiple factors are involved in a complicated manner. Many effects could not be expected against obesity.

  A devil's claw related to the present invention is a perennial plant belonging to the sesame family native to southern Africa, and its scientific name is called Harpagophytum procumbens. Devil scrow is used in Europe to treat joint pain and tendonitis in Europe. In addition, use for the treatment of bronchial asthma, colitis ulcer, rheumatic diseases (Patent Document 11), use for a pharmaceutical composition having anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory activities (Patent Document 12) has been proposed. Yes.

  However, the anti-obesity action, lipolysis promoting action, adipocyte differentiation inhibiting action, blood neutral fat elevation inhibiting action, and adiponectin production promoting action of devilsclaw have never been reported.

JP 2004-256432 A JP 2006-169181 A JP 2004-35516 A JP 2002-326947 A JP 2005-247695 A JP 2006-213648 A JP 2007-246471 A JP 2007-9965 A JP 2007-261993 A JP 2007-31302 A JP 2000-511166 Gazette Special Table 2000-501113 Nature Medicine, 2002, Vol. 8, p. 731-737 Circulation Journal, 2004, 68, p. 975-981 Nature Medicine, 2002, Vol. 8, p. 1288-1295

  An object of the present invention is to provide an effective and highly safe anti-obesity agent, lipolysis promoter, adipocyte differentiation inhibitor, blood neutral fat increase inhibitor, and adiponectin production promoter.

  As a result of diligent research to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that the extract of devilsclaw has an excellent anti-obesity effect, lipolysis promoting effect, adipocyte differentiation inhibiting effect, blood neutral fat increase inhibiting effect And it discovered that it exhibited the adiponectin production promotion effect, and came to complete this invention.

  The extract of the devil scra related to the present invention is obtained by extracting from the devil scrow with a solvent. The extraction method is not particularly limited, and for example, heating extraction, room temperature extraction, or the like can be selected as appropriate.

  Examples of the solvent to be extracted include water, lower alcohols (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, etc.), liquid polyhydric alcohols (1,3-butylene glycol, propylene glycol). Glycerol, etc.), ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, etc.), acetonitrile, esters (ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, etc.), hydrocarbons (hexane, heptane, etc.), ethers (ethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, propyl ether, etc.) Can be mentioned. Preferable are polar solvents such as water and lower alcohols, and particularly preferable are water and ethanol. These solvents may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  The above extract may be used as it is, or may be used after treatment such as concentration, dilution, filtration, decolorization with activated carbon, deodorization, ethanol precipitation or the like, if necessary. Furthermore, the extracted solution may be subjected to a treatment such as concentration to dryness, spray drying, freeze drying, etc., and used as a dried product.

  For the anti-obesity agent, lipolysis promoter, adipocyte differentiation inhibitor, blood neutral fat rise inhibitor, and adiponectin production promoter related to the present invention, the above extract may be used as it is. A diluent can also be used as long as the effect of the above is not impaired. The diluent may be a solid, liquid, or semi-solid, and examples thereof include the following. That is, excipients, extenders, binders, wetting agents, disintegrants, surfactants, lubricants, dispersants, buffers, fragrances, preservatives, solubilizers, solvents, and the like. Specifically, lactose, sucrose, sorbit, mannitol, starch, precipitated calcium carbonate, heavy magnesium oxide, talc, calcium stearate, magnesium stearate, cellulose, or derivatives thereof, amylopectin, polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, interface Activators, water, physiological saline, ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol, cocoa butter, olive oil, petrolatum, paraffin, higher alcohols and the like.

  The anti-obesity agent, lipolysis promoter, adipocyte differentiation inhibitor, blood neutral fat rise inhibitor, and adiponectin production promoter according to the present invention are any of pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, foods, and cosmetics. Can also be used. Various preparation forms can be selected, and an internal preparation is particularly preferable. For example, powders, granules, tablets, sugar-coated tablets, capsules, syrups, pills, suspensions, liquids, emulsions and the like. Examples of parenteral dosage forms include lotions, creams, emulsions, bath preparations, injections, suppositories and the like.

  The amount of the extract according to the present invention varies depending on the preparation form, purpose of use and the like, but is usually 0.001% by weight or more, preferably 0.01 to 50.0% by weight as a dry solid content. The addition method to the preparation may be added in advance or may be added during the production, and may be appropriately selected in consideration of workability. The daily dose of the extract according to the present invention varies depending on the purpose of use, age, body weight, etc., but is preferably 0.02 to 20 mg / kg, particularly preferably 0.1 to 10 mg / kg.

  The anti-obesity agent, lipolysis promoter, adipocyte differentiation inhibitor, blood neutral fat rise inhibitor, and adiponectin production promoter related to the present invention only exert excellent effects for the purpose of each agent. In addition, since obesity acts in a multifaceted manner and exhibits an excellent improvement effect, it is effective in preventing and improving obesity and lifestyle-related diseases related to obesity.

  Examples are provided to describe the present invention in detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The part of the amount shown in the examples indicates part by weight, and% indicates% by weight.

Hot water extract of devils claw Add 2 liters of purified water to 100 g of dried devils claw tubers, extract at 95-100 ° C. for 2 hours, filter, concentrate the filtrate, freeze-dry and hot water extract 20 g was obtained.

50% ethanol extract of devil's claw Add 1L of purified water and 1L of ethanol to 100g of dried devil's claw tubers, extract at room temperature for 3 days, filter, concentrate the filtrate and freeze-dry to 50% 15 g of ethanol extract was obtained.

Ethanol extract of devil sucrose 2 L of ethanol was added to 100 g of dried devil sucrose tubers, extracted at room temperature for 3 days, filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated and freeze-dried to obtain 12 g of ethanol extract.

50% 1,3-butylene glycol extract of devil sucrose 500 g of purified water and 500 g of 1,3-butylene glycol (1,3-BG) were added to 100 g of dried devil sucrose tubers and extracted at room temperature for 7 days. Thereafter, filtration was performed to obtain 900 g of 50% 1,3-BG extract.

Lotion prescription 50% 1,3-butylene glycol extract of devilscrow (Example 4) 0.1 part 2.1,3-butylene glycol 8.0
3. Glycerin 2.0
4). Xanthan gum 0.02
5). Citric acid 0.01
6). Sodium citrate 0.1
7. Ethanol 5.0
8). Pantothenic acid ethyl alcohol 0.1
9. Methyl paraoxybenzoate 0.1
10. Polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil (40E.O.) 0.1
11. Fragrance 0.1
12 Purified water 84.37
[Production method] Components 1 to 6 and 12 and components 7 to 11 are uniformly dissolved, mixed together, and filtered to obtain a product.

Comparative Example 1 Conventional Lotion In Example 5, a 50% 1,3-butylene glycol extract of devil scrow was replaced with purified water to obtain a conventional lotion.

Cream formulation Formulation amount 1. Ethanol extract of devil's claw (Example 3) 0.05 part2. Squalane 5.5
3. Olive oil 3.0
4). Stearic acid 2.0
5). Beeswax 2.0
6). Octyldodecyl myristate 3.5
7. Polyoxyethylene cetyl ether (20E.O.) 3.0
8). Behenyl alcohol 1.5
9. Glycerol monostearate2.5
10. Fragrance 0.1
11. Methyl paraoxybenzoate 0.2
12 Ethyl paraoxybenzoate 0.05
13.1,3-Butylene glycol 8.5
14 Purified water 68.1
[Manufacturing method] Components 1 to 9 are heated and dissolved and mixed, and kept at 70 ° C to obtain an oil phase. Ingredients 11-14 are dissolved by heating and mixed, and kept at 75 ° C. to form an aqueous phase. The aqueous phase is added to the oil phase to emulsify, and the mixture is cooled while stirring.

Comparative Example 2 Conventional Cream A cream obtained by replacing the ethanol extract of devil sucrose with squalane in Example 6 was used as a conventional cream.

Emulsion formulation Formulation amount 1. Devil scrow hot water extract (Example 1) 0.01 part2. Squalane 5.0
3. Olive oil 5.0
4). Jojoba oil 5.0
5). Cetanol 1.5
6). Glycerol monostearate 2.0
7. Polyoxyethylene cetyl ether (20E.O.) 3.0
8). Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (20E.O.) 2.0
9. Fragrance 0.1
10. Propylene glycol 1.0
11. Glycerin 2.0
12 Methyl paraoxybenzoate 0.2
13. Purified water 73.19
[Manufacturing method] Components 2 to 8 are dissolved by heating and mixed, and kept at 70 ° C to obtain an oil phase. Ingredients 1 and 10 to 13 are dissolved by heating and mixed, and kept at 75 ° C. to obtain an aqueous phase. The aqueous phase is added to the oil phase to emulsify, and the mixture is cooled while stirring.

Bath preparation formulation Ethanol extract of Devil's Claw (Example 3) 5.0 parts Sodium bicarbonate 50.0
3. Menthol 0.1
4). Yellow No. 202 (1) 0.01
5). Fragrance 0.1
6). Sodium sulfate 44.79
[Production method] Components 1 to 6 are uniformly mixed to obtain a product.

Powder formulation Formulation amount 1. Devil scrow 50% ethanol extract (Example 2) 20 parts2. Dried corn starch 30
3. Microcrystalline cellulose 50
[Production method] Components 1 to 3 are mixed to form a powder.

Tablet formulation Devil scrow hot water extract (Example 1) 1 part2. Dried corn starch 29
3. Carboxymethylcellulose calcium 20
4). Microcrystalline cellulose 40
5). Polyvinylpyrrolidone 7
6). Talc 3
[Manufacturing method] Components 1 to 5 are mixed, then 10% of water is added as a binder, dried after extrusion granulation. Ingredient 6 is added to the formed granule, mixed and compressed. One tablet is 0.52 g.

Comparative Example 3 Conventional Tablet A tablet obtained by replacing the hot water extract of devil scra with dry corn starch in Example 10 is used as a conventional tablet.

Tablet confection formulation Ethanol extract of Devil's Claw (Example 3) 1.5 parts2. Dried corn starch 50.0
3. Erythritol 40.0
4). Citric acid 5.0
5). Sucrose fatty acid ester 3.4
6). Fragrance 0.1
[Manufacturing method] Components 1 to 4 are mixed, 10% water is added as a binder, and fluidized bed granulation is performed. Ingredients 5 and 6 are added to the formed granule, mixed and compressed. One tablet is 1.0 g.

Beverage formula 1. 50 parts ethanol extract of devil scrow (Example 2) 1.0 part Stevia 0.05
3. Malic acid 5.0
4). Fragrance 0.1
5). Purified water 93.85
[Production Method] Components 1 to 4 are stirred and dissolved in a part of purified water of Component 5. The remaining purified water of Component 5 is then added and mixed, heated to 90 ° C. and filled into a 50 mL glass bottle.

Comparative Example 4 Conventional Beverage In Example 12, a 50% ethanol extract of devil scrow was replaced with purified water to obtain a conventional beverage.

Confirmation of adipocyte differentiation inhibitory action In a 35 mm dish, mouse preadipocytes (3T3-L1) reach confluence in 2 mL of culture medium (DMEM medium (Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium) containing 10% fetal bovine serum). And was cultured at 37 ° C. in the presence of 5% CO ₂ . After the cells reached confluence, the medium was removed by suction, and the cells were washed with phosphate buffered saline (hereinafter referred to as PBS), and then differentiation induction medium 1 (10% fetal bovine serum, 1 μM dexamethasone, 10 μg / mL) 2 mL of DMEM medium containing insulin, 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and 100 μM ascorbic acid was added. Subsequently, a sample solution (2 to 4 μL) obtained by dissolving the extract of the devil sucrose of Example 1, Example 2 and Example 3 in DMSO was added and cultured at 37 ° C. for 3 days in the presence of 5% CO ₂ . As a control, only DMSO was added to the differentiation induction medium. Next, the medium was removed by aspiration, and the cells were washed with PBS. Then, the medium was replaced with 2 mL of differentiation induction medium 2 (DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 10 μg / mL insulin, and 100 μM ascorbic acid). The sample solution was added again and cultured for 3 days. Thereafter, the medium was removed by aspiration, the cells were washed with PBS, 2 mL of DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum and the sample solution having the same concentration were added, and further cultured for 3 days.
Nine days after the start of differentiation induction, the medium was removed by suction, washed with PBS, glutaraldehyde was added to fix the cells, and fat particles accumulated in the cells were stained with Sudan II. The stained fat granules were eluted with isopropanol containing 4% Triton X-100 and the absorbance at 490 nm was measured to evaluate the adipocyte differentiation inhibitory action.

Since fat cells accumulate fat in the cells with differentiation, the differentiation inhibitory action was expressed by the fat accumulation inhibition rate. That is, the higher the fat accumulation inhibition rate, the higher the differentiation inhibiting action. The fat accumulation suppression rate was calculated by the following formula.
Fat accumulation inhibition rate (%) = (1− (absorbance at 490 nm when devilscrow extract is added) / (absorbance at 490 nm when no extract of devilscrow is added)) × 100

  As a result of examining the effect of inhibiting differentiation of adipocytes by using the above experimental method, as shown in Table 1, the devil's claw extract according to the present invention inhibited fat accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner. From the above results, it was found that the devilscrow extract suppresses differentiation into adipocytes.

Confirmation of Lipolysis Promoting Action After differentiation induction of mouse preadipocytes (3T3-L1) as described in Example 13, when neutral fat was sufficiently accumulated, Example 1, Example 2, and The extract of devil scrow of Example 3 was added and cultured for 7 days. The lipolysis promoting action of devil sucrose was evaluated using as an index the amount of glycerol released into the culture broth as fat was decomposed. The amount of glycerol in the culture broth was quantified using F kit glycerol (manufactured by JK International) and expressed as the amount per cell protein.

  The results are shown in Table 2. As a result, the amount of free glycerol was remarkably increased in a concentration-dependent manner by adding the extract of devil scrow compared to the control. From this result, it was confirmed that the extract of devil scrow has an action of promoting lipolysis. .

Confirmation of adiponectin production promoting action In a 35 mm dish, mouse preadipocytes (3T3-L1) were added to 10% fetal calf serum in DMEM medium (Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium) in the presence of 5% CO ₂ until reaching confluence. Cultured at 37 ° C. After the cells reach confluence, the medium is replaced with differentiation-inducing medium 1 (DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 1 μM dexamethasone, 10 μg / mL insulin, 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and 100 μM ascorbic acid). In the same manner, the cells were cultured for 3 days. Thereafter, the medium was replaced with differentiation induction medium 2 (DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 10 μg / mL insulin, and 100 μM ascorbic acid), and cultured in the same manner for 3 days. Further, the medium was replaced with DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum and cultured for 3 days.
A sample obtained by dissolving the extract of the devil sucrose of Example 1, Example 2 and Example 3 in DMSO was added and cultured for 48 hours, and then the culture supernatant was used for measurement of adiponectin secretion. The mouse / rat adiponectin ELISA kit manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. was used for quantification of adiponectin in the culture supernatant. The amount of adiponectin secreted is shown in Table 3.

  As shown in Table 3, the hot water extract, 50% ethanol extract, and ethanol extract of devilsclaw used in the present invention increased the amount of adiponectin secretion in a concentration-dependent manner. From the above results, it was found that the devilscrow extract promotes the production of adiponectin from adipocytes.

Confirmation of anti-obesity action, blood neutral fat increase inhibitory action, etc. Using the devil scrow hot water extract obtained in Example 1, confirmed anti-obesity action, blood neutral fat rise inhibitory action, etc. did. In the experiment, 4 week-old SD male rats were used as 6 rats per group. The normal diet group was bred using a commercially available feed (Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd .: mouse / rat breeding-MF). As a high fat diet for inducing obesity, a high fat diet (made by Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.) containing 23% of beef tallow was used. A high-fat diet supplemented with 0.5% of hot water extract of devils claw was prepared and allowed to freely feed and bred (devil scrow administration group). For comparison, a high-fat feed supplemented with 0.5% casein was prepared instead of the hot water extract of devil scrow, and was freely ingested and bred (control group). The body weight of the rats was measured on the morning of the 12th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, 37th, 43rd, and 51st days from the start of breeding with the hot water extract-added feed of devils claw. At the end of the test, dissection was performed, and histological and blood tests were performed. As an evaluation of the visceral fat accumulation amount, the weight of the epididymis fat tissue was measured. In the measurement of blood lipids, fasting was performed for 18 hours from the evening of the 47th day of breeding, and fasting blood was collected from the tail vein on the 48th day. Next, plasma was separated by centrifugation, and triglyceride E test Wako (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries) was used for neutral fat, and NEFA-C test Wako (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries) was used for free fatty acids. Went.

  Table 4 shows the average values of the body weights on the 12th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, 37th, 43rd, and 51st days from the start of breeding. The group bred with the feed supplemented with the devilscrow hot water extract of the present invention had less weight gain compared to the control group, and the extract of devilscrow showed a sufficient weight gain inhibitory effect. . Since there was no significant difference in feed intake, it can be said that this difference in weight gain is not due to feed intake. In the process of weight gain in the devil scrow extract addition group, no weight loss was observed in the early stages of breeding, and histological and hematological abnormalities were found in the dissection findings at the end of the experiment. Thus, it was shown that the extract of devil sucrose is effective in suppressing weight gain without affecting general health.

  The results of blood triglycerides are shown in Table 5, and the results of blood free fatty acids are shown in Table 6. A high-fat diet increases both the amount of neutral fat and free fatty acids in the blood, but it has been found that administration of the devilsclaw extract suppresses increases in the amount of neutral fat and free fatty acids in the blood did.

  The testicular adipose tissue weight is shown in Table 7. It was found that the fat accumulation in the accessory testicles was increased by the high fat diet, and the increase was suppressed by administering the extract of devil scrow.

Confirmation of slimming effect in topical preparation 30 women (21 to 46 years old) using lotion of Example 5, cream of Example 6, conventional lotion of Comparative Example 1 and conventional cream of Comparative Example 2 on the face A one-month use test was conducted on the subjects. After use, the slimming effect on the feeling of skin tightening, skin tension and skin elasticity was determined by questionnaire.

  The test results are shown in Table 10. As a result, the lotion of Example 5 and the cream of Example 6 containing the extract of devil scrow showed a slimming effect superior to that of the conventional lotion and the conventional cream. During the test period, there was no case of skin trouble and there was no problem in safety. There was also no problem with the deterioration of the prescription ingredients.

Confirmation of anti-obesity effect in internal use Twenty mildly obese men (35 to 55) using the tablet of Example 10, the beverage of Example 12, the conventional tablet of Comparative Example 3, and the conventional beverage of Comparative Example 4. A 1-month intake test was conducted. Two tablets (6 tablets per day) were taken after each meal, and one drink was consumed daily at any time. Before and after use, body weight, body fat, and waist circumference were measured to determine the anti-obesity effect. Each item was judged to be “decrease” when a decrease of 2% or more was observed.

  The test results are shown in Table 11. As a result, the tablet of Example 10 and the beverage of Example 12 containing the extract of devil scrow showed an anti-obesity effect superior to that of the conventional tablet and the conventional beverage. During the test period, there was no subject who was unwell, and there was no problem in safety. There was also no problem with the deterioration of the prescription ingredients.

  The anti-obesity agent, the lipolysis promoter, the adipocyte differentiation inhibitor, the blood neutral fat elevation inhibitor, and the adiponectin production promoter characterized by containing the extract of devil scrow according to the present invention It exhibits an excellent improvement effect for the purpose. Therefore, it is useful for pharmaceuticals, quasi-drugs, foods, cosmetics and the like for the purpose of preventing and improving obesity and lifestyle-related diseases.

Claims (5)

An antiobesity agent comprising an extract of devil scrow. A lipolysis promoter characterized by containing an extract of devilscrow. A fat cell differentiation inhibitor, characterized by containing an extract of devil scrow. A blood neutral fat elevation inhibitor comprising a devilscrow extract. An adiponectin production promoter characterized by containing an extract of devilscrow.