• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1649-1654
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• 2016

Tea derived from the leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis (Theaceae) is consumed worldwide. Green tea contains various components with specific health-promoting effects, and is believed to exert protective effects against diseases including cancer, diabetes and hepatitis, as well as obesity. Of the various tea components, the polyphenol catechins have been the subject of extensive investigation and among the catechins, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate has the strongest bioactivity in most cases. Our research group has postulated that hepatocyte nuclear factor-$4{\alpha}$, sterol regulatory element-binding proteins, and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ are targets of green tea constituents including (-)-epigallocatechin gallate for their anti-diabetes, anti-obesity, and anti-hepatitis effects, respectively. Published papers were reviewed to determine whether the observed changes in these factors can be correlated with anti-cancer effects of green tea. Two major action mechanisms of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate have been proposed; one associated with its anti-oxidative properties and the other with its pro-oxidative activity. When reactive oxygen species are assumed to be involved, our findings that (-)-epigallocatechin gallate downregulated hepatocyte nuclear factor-$4{\alpha}$, sterol regulatory element-binding proteins, and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ may explain the anti-cancer effect of green tea as well. However, further studies are required to elucidate which determinant directs (-)-epigallocatechin gallate action as an anti-oxidant or a pro-oxidant for favorable activity.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.215-222
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• 2003

As the obesity has been known to be related with the hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease, cerebral apoplexy, fatty liver, and other chronic diseases, recent researches have focused on the functional food materials and their anti-obesity activities. This study was performed to study the effects of vanilloid family capsaicin, major pungent ingredient of hot chillies and peppers, on anti-obesity activities. ICR male mice were fed one of the pellet diet, basal diet, and high fat diet with capsaicin (45 $\mu\textrm{g}$/day) solution for 5 days. Mice in the corresponding control groups were given water for 5 days. In results, capsaicin reduced body weights in any diet groups. Percent weight and cell size of the abdominal white adipose tissue in mice on the high fat diet with capcaicin were significantly lower compared with those in mice on the high fat diet with water. However, percent brown adipose tissue weight per body weight in mice on the high fat diet was not affected by capsaicin. Capsaicin reduced the levels of s-triglyceride and s-total cholesterol in the pellet diet or high fat diet groups. There was no difference in the s-protein levels between the capsaicin group and the control water group. These data indicate that 1) orally administered capsaicin has a reducing effect on the blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, and 2) capsaicin has lowering effects on the body weight, percent weight and cell size of the abdominal white adipose tissue.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.733-741
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• 2006

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary calcium and soy isoflavone on body fat and lipid metabolism in high fat-induced obesity. Four week old female C57/BL6J mice, known as a good model of diet-induced obesity, were fed low Ca and high fat diet for 6 weeks. After induced obesity, mice were divided into six groups according to diets varying calcium contents (0.1 or 1.5%) and genistein contents (0 or 500 or 1,000 ppm). Body weight, fat pad (perirenal fat and parameterial fat), adipocyte size, serum total lipid and total cholesterol were significantly decreased by both high Ca intake and genistein supplementation. However, the effect of genistein supplementation showed in low Ca-fed groups. Serum LDL-cholesterol and TG were significantly decreased by high Ca intake and genistein supplementation, respectively. In liver, lipogenic enzymes (fatty acid synthase and malic enzyme) activity and TG were significantly decreased by both high Ca intake and genistein supplementation. This inhibitory effect of genistein on lipogenic enzymes showed in low Ca-fed groups. But liver total cholesterol and total lipid were significantly decreased by high Ca intake and genistein supplementation, respectively. Fecal excretion of total lipid, total cholesterol and TG were significantly increased by high Ca intake, not by genistein supplementation. In conclusion, high calcium intake and genistein supplement may be beneficial for suppression of obesity through direct anti-adipogenesis by decreasing fat weight and size and indirect anti-lipo-genesis by inhibiting lipogenic enzymes activity and improving lipid profile.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.417-420
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• 2005

To investigate the anti-obesitic effect of FD extract which consisted of Mori radicis Cortex, Hoelen, Pueraria radix, Schizonepetae spica, Carthami Flos, Bupleuri radix and Saposhnikoviae radix in high-fat diet-fed female lean Zucker rats. Obesity was induced by feeding high-lipid diet contained $3\%$ corn oil and $1\%$ cholesterol for 8 weeks, in which FD extract was added to the diet for treatment group. The rats fed on the high fat diet showed increased gain of body weights, leading to enhanced feed efficiency ratio. Moreover high-fat diet induced hepatic lipid peroxidation and hyperlipemia. The body weight, food efficiency ratio and lipid peroxidation in the liver was decreased as compared with the rats fed on the high fat diet by FD extract. With all such changes, the blood biochemistry about lipid was, if anything, risen. These results suggest that FD extract was supposed to have effective ingredients for improving obesity for controlling adipose tissue.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.416-421
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• 2006

Among the oriental medicine compounds, sulfur is known as a heat-generation material in a human body. Heat-generation reaction results in the consumption of energy source. Some oriental herbs are used to treat obesity and blood lipid composition. Therefore, we hypothesized that a sulfur containing oriental medicine compound, called as Hangbisan, could help weight loss of experimental rats. This study was designed to observe the change of weight of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats that had been fed with high-fat diet containing 10% cellulose or Hangbisan for 9 weeks. Hangbisan affected the weight loss of rats as reducing the level of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride and increasing the level of HDL-cholesterol. Thus, this study revealed Hangbisan have an anti-obesity effect and a potential role for anti-obesity agent in the application of oriental medicine compounds.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1043-1055
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The fruit of Cydonia oblonga Miller (COM) is used traditionally in Mediterranean region medicine to prevent or treat obesity, but its mechanism of action is still unclear. Beyond a demonstrated anti-obesity effect, the fruit was tested for the mechanism of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were cultured for 8 days with COM fruit extract (COME) at different concentrations (0-600 ㎍/mL) with adipocyte differentiation medium. The cell viability was measured using an MTT assay; triglyceride (TG) was stained with Oil Red O. The expression levels of the adipogenesis-related genes and protein expression were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: COME inhibited intracellular TG accumulation during adipogenesis. A COME treatment in 3T3-L1 cells induced upregulation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)α phosphorylation and downregulation of the adipogenic transcription factors, such as sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α. The COME treatment reduced the mRNA expression of fatty acyl synthetase, adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase, adipocyte protein 2, and lipoprotein lipase. It increased the mRNA expression of hormone-sensitive lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I in 3T3-L1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: COME inhibits adipogenesis via the AMPK signaling pathways. COME may be used to prevent and treat obesity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.383-387
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• 2006

To investigate the effect of GyeongshinhaeGihwan 1(GGT1) frequently used as an anti-obesity herbal medicine in oriental medicine on the expression of obesity-related genes, we measured the changes in mRNA levels of these genes by GGT1 in human growth hormone transgenic (hGHTg) obese female rats, and these effects by GGT1 were compared with those of reductil (RD), an anti-obesity drug approved by FDA. Rats received once daily oral administrations of autoclaved water, RD, or GGT1 for 8 weeks. At the end of study, rats were sacrificed and tissues were harvested. Total RNA from adipose tissue, liver and kidney was prepared and the mRNA levels for LPL (lipoprotein lipase), $PPAR{\gamma}$ (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma), $PPAR{\delta}$ (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-delta), leptin, $TNF{\alpha}$ (tumor necrosis factor-alpha), and internal standard G3PDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) were analyzed by RT-PCR. Compared with control group, $PPAR{\gamma}$ mRNA levels of liver and kidney were decreased in both RD and GGT1 groups, and the effects were more prominent in GGT1 group than in RD group, suggesting that GGT1 is effective in the inhibition of lipid storage by decreasing the $PPAR{\gamma}$ expression. $PPAR{\delta}$ mRNA levels of adipose tissue were increased by RD and GGT1 compared with DW, and the magnitude of increase were higher in GGT1 group than in RD group, indicating that GGT1 stimulates fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism by activating $PPAR{\delta}$ expression. GGT1 group had higher concentrations of serum leptin, a well-known inhibitor of appetite, than control and RD groups. However, The mRNA levels of leptin, LPL, and $TNF{\alpha}$ were not changed by GGT1. These results indicate that GGT1 can prevent obesity in hGHTg obese female rats by down-regulating and up-regulating the mRNA expression of $PPAR{\gamma}$ and $PPAR{\delta}$, respectively, and that this anti-obesity effects were more pronounced in GGT1 group compared with RD group. In addition, GGT1 seems to inhibit obesity by increasing the circulating leptin levels.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.613-617
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Adipogenesis is part of the cell differentiation process in which undifferentiated fibroblasts (pre-adipocytes) become mature adipocytes with the accumulation of lipid droplets and subsequent cell morphological changes. Several transcription factors and food components have been suggested to be involved in adipogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine whether mulberry leaf ethanol extract (MLEE) affects adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: The 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with different doses of MLEE for 8 days starting 2 days post-confluence. Cell viability, fat accumulation, and adipogenesis-related factors including CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein alpha ($C/EBP{\alpha}$), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($PPAR{\gamma}$), $PPAR{\gamma}$ coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-$1{\alpha}$), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and adiponectin were analyzed. RESULTS: Results showed that MLEE treatments at 10, 25, 50, and $100{\mu}g/ml$ had no effect on cell morphology and viability. Without evident toxicity, all MLEE treated cells had lower fat accumulation compared with control as shown by lower absorbances of Oil Red O stain. MLEE at 50 and $100{\mu}g/ml$ significantly reduced protein levels of $PPAR{\gamma}$, PGC-$1{\alpha}$, FAS, and adiponectin in differentiated adipocytes. Furthermore, protein level of $C/EBP{\alpha}$ was significantly decreased by the treatment of $100{\mu}g/ml$ MLEE. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that MLEE treatment has an anti-adipogenic effect in differentiated adipocytes without toxicity, suggesting its potential as an anti-obesity therapeutic.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.389-398
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to evaluate anti-obesity activity of Cirsium setidens Nakai test material (CNTM) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and obese C57BL/6J mice fed with a high-fat diet using various obesity-related in vitro experiments. During adipocyte differentiation, CNTM significantly inhibited lipid accumulation and ROS production compared to controls. To evaluate whether CNTM could exert glycerol release effects on mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes, we treated cells with various concentrations of CNTM for 1 h. Treatment of mature adipocytes with $160-320{\mu}g/mL$ of CNTM increased the release of glycerol, but not in a significant dose-dependent manner. Anti-adipogenic and anti-lipogenic effects of CNTM seemed to be mediated by the inhibition of $PPAR{\gamma}$ and $C/EBP{\alpha}$. Moreover, CNTM stimulated fatty acid oxidation in an AMPK-dependent manner. CNTM-treated groups of C57BL/6J mice showed reduced body weights and adipose tissue weight with improving serum lipid profiles and adiponectin protein expression in obese C57BL/6J mice fed with a high-fat diet. These results suggest that CNTM might have anti-obesity effect on adipogenesis and lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo. This presents the possibility of developing a treatment for obesity using nontoxic natural resources.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.411-419
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated in vitro immune-enhancing and anti-obesity activity of Abelmoschus manihot roots (AMR) in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells and mouse adipocytes 3T3-L1 cells. AMR increased the production of immunostimulatory factors such as nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in RAW264.7 cells. The inhibition of toll like receptor (TLR) 2 and 4 blocked AMR-mediated production of immunostimulatory factors in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathway reduced AMR-mediated production of immunostimulatory factors. From these results, AMR is considered to have immune-enhancing activity through TLR2/4-mediated activation of MAPKs signaling pathway. In addition, AMR inhibited lipid accumulation and reduced the protein level such as CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBPα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), perilipin-1, adiponectin and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) associated with lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells, indicating that AMR may have anti-obesity activity. Based on these results, AMR is expected to be used as a potential functional agent for immune enhancement and anti-obesity.