Investigating the effects of ferulic acid and caffeine on high-fat diet-induced diabetes and metabolic disorders

Ferulic acid and caffeine exhibit antioxidant and metabolic regulatory activities. This study evaluated their combined effects on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic disturbances. After four weeks of HFD feeding, diabetic mice were treated with low or high doses of ferulic acid (25 or 50 mg/kg) or caffeine (15 or 30 mg/kg) for another four weeks. Compared with the control diet, the HFD increased fasting blood glucose by 40%, body weight by 25%, and total serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels by 35% and 40%, respectively. Coadministration of ferulic acid and caffeine significantly decreased fasting blood glucose to near-normal levels (≈132 mg/dL), serum cholesterol and triglycerides by 28–31%, ALT from 41 ± 3.8 U/L to 36–39 U/L, and MDA from 8.2 ± 0.6 nmol/mg to 4.8 ± 0.4 nmol/mg. Histopathology revealed restored hepatic and adipose tissue morphology with reduced inflammation. Combined ferulic acid and caffeine treatment effectively alleviated hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, and oxidative stress in HFD-fed mice.