LIMITATIONS OF WISTAR RATS AS PRECLINICAL MODELS FOR TAMARINDUS INDICA ANTI-OBESITY STUDIES: A SHORT COMMUNICATION

Using Wistar rat models, recent studies have demonstrated the potential of tamarind's indica fruit pulp as a plant-based anti-obesity treatment. Due to key anatomical and physiological differences, the applicability of these rodent models in anti-obesity and hypolipidemic studies is still extremely questionable. Most notably, the absence of the gallbladder in Wistar rats directly affects the lipid profile and bile acid kinetics. Moreover, the majority of the cholesterol in rats’ serum is found in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) fractions rather than low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, and unlike humans, they are naturally lacking in cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). Efficacy findings from rats may not accurately reflect human metabolic outcomes since T. indica supplementation affects the composition of bile acids and has been clinically linked to an increased risk of cholelithiasis (gallstones) in species with gallbladders. This short communication emphasises these structural and metabolic discrepancies and proposes that swine models or pigs provide a better physiological priority for the conversion of plant-based anti-obesity and lipid-lowering treatments. In anti-obesity and hypolipidemic research, this report proposes that using the pig animal is more responsible than using the rat model.