Thyme oxymel is a mixture of vinegar, sugar and thyme which is traditionally used in many folk medicines as syrup to treat metabolic disorders. The molecular mechanisms of anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of thyme oxymel or oxymel and its role on homeostasis of trace elements are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti- hyperlipidemic effects of different doses of thyme oxymel and oxymel on obesity induced by high-fat/-fructose diet (HFFD) in male rat.Eighty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into eleven groups and treated daily for 24 weeks. At the end of the study, serum levels of liver enzymes, lipid profiles, blood glucose, insulin, antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation and TNF-α were measured. The hepatic oxidative biomarkers and the genes expression of SREBP-1c, CPT-1, Nrf-2 and NF-κB were also studied to determine the molecular mechanism involved in this disease.The results showed that HFFD could significantly change the level of oxidative biomarkers, lipid profiles, TNF-α, liver enzymes, leptin, insulin and the levels of some trace elements in obese rats compared to control group (p < 0.05), while pretreatment and treatment with thyme oxymel and oxymel in obese rats could significantly ameliorate them and bring some of them back to normal (p < 0.05).The molecular results also showed that HFFD significantly up-regulated the expression of SREBP-1c and NF-κB and down-regulated CPT-1 and Nrf-2 expression(p < 0.05). While, pretreatment and treatment with thyme oxymel or oxymel in obese rats could significantly ameliorate them (p < 0.05).It can be concluded that thyme oxymel or oxymel can alleviate HFFD-induced obesity through improving oxidative stress, inflammation, lipid metabolism, homeostasis of some trace elements, and weight-regulating hormones.
