Usefulness of Spp. on the Management of Obesity and Its Metabolic Co-Morbidities

The plants of the genus mainly grow in arid and semi-arid climates. Although the highest variety of wild species is found in Mexico, spp. is widely distributed throughout the world. Extracts of these cacti have been described as important sources of bioactive substances that can have beneficial properties for the prevention and treatment of certain metabolic disorders. The objective of this review is to summarise the presently available knowledge regarding (nopal or prickly pear), and some other species ( and ) on obesity and several metabolic complications. Current data show that products used in preclinical studies have a significant capacity to prevent, at least partially, obesity and certain derived co-morbidities. On this subject, the potential beneficial effects of are related to a reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation markers. Nevertheless, clinical studies have evidenced that the effects are highly contingent upon the experimental design. Moreover, the bioactive compound composition of nopal extracts has not been reported. As a result, there is a lack of information to elucidate the mechanisms of action responsible for the observed effects. Accordingly, further studies are needed to demonstrate whether products can represent an effective tool to prevent and/or manage body weight and some metabolic disorders.