• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2015

Most of the wheat germ in cereal grains is removed during the milling process. Various physiological effects have been reported for bioactive substances in wheat germ such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. In this study, the antioxidant and anti-adipogenic effects of ethanol extracts from wheat germ (WGE) and wheat germ fermented with Aspergillus oryzae (F-WGE) were investigated in HepG2 and 3T3-L1 cells. The anti-oxidant activity of F-WGE was demonstrated by a dose-dependent increase in the enhanced scavenging capacity of hydroxyl radicals and $Cu^{2+}$-chelating activity compared to WGE. WGE and F-WGE treatment at doses between 10 and $400{\mu}g/mL$ did not affect the viability of HepG2 and 3T3-L1 cells. Intracellular ROS levels from $Cu^{2+}$-induced oxidative stress were significantly decreased by F-WGE treatment in HepG2 cells compared to WGE. Lipid accumulation was increased in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by $100{\mu}M$ $Fe^{2+}$ treatment, but the accumulation was strongly inhibited by $100{\mu}g/mL$ of WGE and F-WGE treatment. These results suggest that changes in bioactive substances during the fermentation of wheat germ can potentiate scavenging activities against transition metal-induced oxidative stress and lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Therefore, we propose that F-WGE is a novel food materials and provided scientific evidences for its efficacy in the development of functional foods.