{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:54:12Z","timestamp":1788915252297,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774915200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006378","name":"Directorate of Research and Development Universitas Indonesia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NKB-1065\/UN2.RST\/HKP.05.00\/2024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NKB-1065\/UN2.RST\/HKP.05.00\/2024"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006378","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Marine macroalgae are increasingly recognized as sources of bioactive compounds with potential benefits for metabolic health. This study investigated the chemical composition and metabolic effects of a 70% ethanol extract of the edible red alga Gracilaria coronopifolia in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity model in rats. Chemical profiling using liquid chromatography\u2013high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC\u2013HRMS) identified several classes of metabolites, including sterols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and fatty acid derivatives such as palmitoleic acid, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, and quercetin. Male Wistar rats were fed an HFD for 11 weeks to induce obesity and subsequently treated with G. coronopifolia extract (40\u2013160 mg\/kg body weight) for 28 days, with semaglutide (70 \u00b5g\/kg) used as a pharmacological comparator. Supplementation with the extract significantly reduced obesity-related parameters compared with untreated HFD controls. The highest extract dose (160 mg\/kg) decreased final body weight from 294.8 \u00b1 43.3 g in HFD rats to 215.2 \u00b1 11.9 g, reduced visceral fat mass from 22.7 \u00b1 2.37 g to 7.63 \u00b1 1.19 g, and lowered the adiposity index from 6.39 \u00b1 0.45% to 3.31 \u00b1 0.22%. The extract also improved serum lipid profiles, reducing triglyceride levels from 185.46 \u00b1 11.58 mg\/dL in the HFD group to 101.54 \u00b1 24.29 mg\/dL, while increasing HDL concentrations to 75.64 \u00b1 4.73 mg\/dL. In addition, treatment increased adiponectin levels (to 779.55 \u00b1 15.66) and decreased leptin (4.94 \u00b1 0.75) and amylin (532.44 \u00b1 30.00) relative to obese controls. Histological analysis demonstrated a reduction in adipocyte hypertrophy. Gene expression analysis revealed downregulation of hypothalamic Npy and adipose Fas and Ppar\u03b3, together with upregulation of Pomc, Mc4r, and Cpt1. These findings suggest that G. coronopifolia extract improves metabolic disturbances associated with diet-induced obesity through coordinated regulation of appetite signaling and lipid metabolism, supporting its potential development as a marine-derived functional food ingredient.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15071167","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T08:09:18Z","timestamp":1774944558000},"page":"1167","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Edible Marine Red Alga Gracilaria coronopifolia as a Potential Functional Ingredient: Chemical Profiling and Metabolic Effects in Diet-Induced Obese Rats"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2924-3677","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anton","family":"Bahtiar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, Depok 16424, West Java, Indonesia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Larissa","family":"Musyantika","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, Depok 16424, West Java, Indonesia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tri","family":"Wahyuni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, Depok 16424, West Java, Indonesia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ratna Annisa","family":"Utami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132, West Java, Indonesia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5447-096X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sirithon","family":"Siriamornpun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Unit of Thai Food Innovation, Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Technology, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham 44150, Thailand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100375","DOI":"10.1016\/j.metop.2025.100375","article-title":"Obesity: Prevalence, causes, consequences, management, preventive strategies and future research directions","volume":"27","author":"Ahmed","year":"2025","journal-title":"Metab. 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