• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.69-69
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• 2023

Safflower seeds, classified as a member of the Asteraceae family, a dicotyledonous plant, contain linoleic acid as a major component, known for its pharmacological effect of strengthening bones. Additionally, safflower seeds have been reported to have pharmacological effects on vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of safflower seed extract by examining its impact on adipocyte differentiation using Oil Red O staining, triglyceride quantification, and GPDH activity measurement. The results showed that safflower seed extract significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation. Furthermore, we confirmed that safflower seed extract improved body weight, liver weight, adipose tissue size, glucose, and triglyceride levels in a high-fat diet-induced mouse model. These findings suggest that safflower seed extract exhibits potent anti-obesity activity both in vitro and in vivo and has the potential to be developed as a material for future anti-obesity therapies.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2022

Halophytes are plants that live in harsh environments in coastal regions and are known for their diverse chemical compositions. Limonium tetragonum, a halophyte endemic to Korean shores, is known for its bioactive compounds and is utilized in folk medicine. In this study L. tetragonum extract (LHE) was used to determine and evaluate its anti-osteoporotic properties. Pre-adipocyte and pre-osteoblasts were induced to differentiate along with LHE treatment, and their differentiation was evaluated using differentiation markers. LHE treatment decreased lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes during adipogenesis. Results indicated that the LHE treatment also decreased the levels of key adipogenic transcription factors: PPARγ, SREBP1c, and C/EBPα. Enhancing osteoblastogenesis by LHE treatment was confirmed in osteoblastogenesis-induced MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts. Cells treated with LHE resulted in increased calcification and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity compared with osteoblasts without LHE treatment. Pro-osteogenic and anti-adipogenic effects were also confirmed in D1 murine mesenchymal stromal cells which are capable of differentiation into both adipocytes and osteoblasts. LHE hindered adipogenesis and enhanced osteoblastogenesis in D1 MSCs in a similar fashion. In conclusion, L. tetragonum is believed to possess the potential to be utilized as a nutraceutical ingredient against osteoporotic conditions.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.51-51
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• 2023

The world-wide rate of obesity is increasing continuously, representing a serious medical threat since it is associated with a variety of diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and numerous cancers. Sophora japonicais used as a traditional herb for medicinal purposes in eastern Asia. However, the anti-obesity effects of S. japonicafruit have not been explored. The aim of this study is to investigate the inhibition of adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis by an ethanol extract of S. japonicafruit (EESF) in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. Our results demonstrate that EESF suppressed the terminal differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner, as confirmed by a decrease in lipid droplet number and lipid content through Oil Red O staining. EESF significantly reduced the accumulation of cellular triglyceride, which was associated with a significant inhibition of the levels of pro-adipogenic transcription factors, including PPARγ, C/EBPα and C/EBPβ. In addition, EESF potentially down regulated the expression levels of adipocyte-specific proteins, including aP2 and leptin. In particular, EESF treatment effectively enhanced the activation of the AMPK signaling pathway; however, the co-treatment with compound C, an inhibitor of AMPK, significantly restored the EESF-induced inhibition of pro-adipogenic transcription factors and adipocyte-specific genes. These results indicate that EESF may exert an anti-obesity effect by controlling the AMPK signaling pathway, suggesting that the fruit extract of S. japonica may be a potential anti-obesity agent.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1016-1022
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• 2019

Owing to increased interest in preventing obesity in an aging society, both men and women spend considerable amount of cost on obesity managements. In this study, we investigated the natural substances on anti-obesity activities in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. Also, to improve anti-obesityeffects, research using 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes cells is crucial. The anti-obesity effect of 70% ethanol extract from Torilis Japonica Decandolle on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes to adipocytes was investigated by suppressing adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation with Oil Red O assay, and western blot analysis. Compared to the control, 70% ethanol extract of Torilis Japonica Decandolle was significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation and intracellular triglyceride (TG) level at a concentration of $100{\mu}g/ml$. To determine the mechanism of reduction in TG content, we determined the level of protein expression of obesity-related proteins, such as peroxisome-proliferatorsactivated-receptor-${\gamma}$ ($PPAR{\gamma}$) and CCAAT enhancer-binding-proteins-${\alpha}$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$), and Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) phosphorylation. As a results, 70% ethanol extract of Torilis Japonica Decandolle significantly decreased protein expression of $PPAR{\gamma}$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$ and ACC phosphorylation. These results indicate that 70% ethanol extract of Torilis Japonica Decandolle is the most effective candidate for preventing obesity. However further studies will be needed to identify the active compounds that confer the anti-obesity activity of Torilis Japonica Decandolle.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.249-258
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• 1998

Obesity, one of the most common metabolic diseases in industrial countries is characterized by an increase in the number or size of adipocytes. In an effort to create transgenic mouse models for the study of obesity we developed a novel technique in which adipose tissue can be ablated genetically at will, at any specific developmental stage and/or physiological condition, by the treatment of ganciclovir. We made a series of adipocytespecific expression vectors using minimal regulatory regions of brown adipocyte-specific uncoupling protein (UCP-1) gene and adipocyte-specific aP2 gene, and then analyzed their expression characteristics in cultured cell lines. When both constructs pUCP-LacZ and paP2-LacZ were transfected transiently into differentiating 3T3-L1 (pre-while adipocytes) and HIB-1B (pre-brown adipocytes) cell lines in vitro and then monitored by X-gal staining of cells, these regulatory regions were sufficient to show proper differentiation stage-specific expression in adipocvtes. To confirm that adipocytes expressing HSV-TK controlled by these minimal requlatory elements are sufficient to kill themselves with ganciclovir treatment pUCP-TK and paP2-TK expression constructs were transfected stably into HIB-1B and 3T3-L1 cells, respectively, and their ganciclovir sensitivities were tested during in vitro differentiation of cells. As expected more than 80% of cells were dead by the 7th day of treatment with ganciclovir while negative control cells were not affected at all. The data suqqest that the constructed vectors are suitable for obtaining novel obese transqenic models based on a conditional genetic tissue ablation method.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2016

This paper reports in vitro cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory and adipocyte diffentiation with adipogenic effects of coumarins inophyllum D (1) and calanone (2), and a chromanone carboxylic acid namely isocordato-oblongic acid (3) isolated from Calophyllum symingtonianum as well as a biflavonoid morelloflavone (4) isolated from Garcinia prainiana on MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma RAW 264.7 macrophages and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes cells, respectively. The cytotoxicity study on MCF-7 cell was conducted by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Meanwhile, the study of anti-inflammatory effects in RAW 264.7 macrophages and adipogenic effects on 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes were conducted through nitrite determination assay and induction of adipocyte differentiation, respectively. In the cytotoxicity study, inophyllum D (1) was the only compounds that exhibited significant cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 cell with $IC_{50}$ of $84{\mu}g/mL$. Further, all by inhibiting the compounds have shown anti-inflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages of nitrite concentration with production. In addition, the compounds also exhibited adipogenic effects on 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes by stimulating lipid formation. Thus, this study may provide significant input in discovery of the potential effects cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory and adipogenic agents.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.158-166
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• 2010

Objective: It has been reported that Polygonati rhizoma (Pr) has anti-hyperglycemia, anti-triglycemia, anti-diabetic, and anti-tumor activity. Total extract of Pr was tested to identify anti-adipogenic activity in 3T3-L1 differentiation and molecular mechanism of Pr in 3T3-L1 differentiation. Methods: Differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte was induced in the presence of Pr extract and kaempferol. The level of lipid accumulation was measured by Oil Red O staining. The expression of genes associated with adipocyte differentiation was measured by RT-PCR. Results: Extract of Pr and its component kaempferol reduced lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 during adipogenesis and also reduced mRNA levels of genes associated with adipogenesis, such as adipsin, aP2, LPL, SERBP-1c and $PPAR{\gamma}$. Conclusions: In this study, we showed that the molecular mechanism of Pr and kaempferol activity is related to regulation of $PPAR{\gamma}$ expression and activation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.358-367
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• 2011

Soybean is known to contain various phytochemicals that are related to anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity effects in mice and humans. The anti-obesity effect of by-product extracts from soybean on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes to adipocytes was investigated by suppressing adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation with Oil Red-O assay and quantitative PCR. In inducing differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes in the presence of an adipogenic cocktail, isobutylmethylanthine (IBMX), dexamathasone, and insulin, treatment with filtrated soybean soaked water, soybean milk, and soycurd residue from soybean curd processing significantly decreased mRNA expression of obesity-related gene such as PPAR${\gamma}$, Fabp4, and Scd1, adipsin, apolipoprotein (APOE) and adiponectin (ADIPOQ) without any significant cytotoxicity. We also determined the well-known isoflavones in soybean, such as daidzein and genistein, in the by-product extracts. Taken together, we suggest that soybean by-product extract showed anti-obesity effect by suppressing adipocyte related gene expression, and that by-products collected during soybean curd processing may be a good candidate as an ingredient in health care products.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.89-97
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• 2016

Obesity is caused by excess accumulation of body fat and contributes to various pathological disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of a 30% ethanol extract of Fructus Rosae laevigata (RLE) on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, measured by triglyceride accumulation and expression of adipogenesis-related transcription factors during differentiation of pre-adipocytes into adipocytes. RLE decreased the intracellular triglyceride contents (assessed by Oil Red-O staining) in a dose-dependent manner. It also downregulated the expression of adipogenic transcription factors and inhibited cell proliferation during the mitotic clonal expansion phase of adipocyte differentiation by inducing G1 phase arrest. We investigated the alterations in the levels of G1 phase arrest-related proteins. The expression of p21 protein significantly increased, while the levels of Cyclin E, Cdk2, and phospho-Rb decreased in a dose-dependent manner in 3T3-L1 cells treated with RLE. These results suggest that RLE inhibits the differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes by suppressing the expression of adipogenic transcription factors and inducing G1 phase arrest in the early stages of adipocyte differentiation.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.99-110
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• 2013

Objectives : This study was designed to investigate the effect of a herbal preparation HJ01 consisting of Salicornia herbacea, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Crataegi Fructus and Glycyrrhizae Radix on adipocyte differentiation in OP9 cells and on poloxamer 407(P-407)-induced hyperlipidemia in mice. Methods : 1. MTT assay was used to evaluate the potential cytotoxicity of Salicornia herbacea, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Crataegi Fructus, Glycyrrhizae Radix and HJ01, respectively. 2. Bone-marrow derived OP9 cells were treated with HJ01, and the alterations in fat storage in the cells were determined by the Oil red O assay. 3. The protein level of CAAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha($C/EBP{\alpha}$), as a adipocyte differentiation marker, was examined using western blot analysis in differentiated OP6 cells. 4. Adult male C57BL6 mice received intraperitoneal injections of P407 to induce hyperlipidemia, simultaneously, were treated with HJ01 for 4 weeks. Then the cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) levels in sera and liver tissues were measured. Results : 1. The MTT assay exhibited that Salicornia herbacea, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Crataegi Fructus, Glycyrrhizae Radix and HJ01 showed no significant cytotoxicity in tested dosages. 2. Ten days' treatment with HJ01 markedly inhibited the increases in fat storage in differentiated OP6 cells. 3. Four weeks' treatment with HJ01 down-regulated the protein level of CAAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha($C/EBP{\alpha}$) but up-regulated the levels of adiponectin in differentiated OP9 cells. 5. HJ01 inhibited the accumulation of TC and TG in liver tissues and increased serum levels of TC in hyperlipidemic mice. Conclusions : These results suggest that HJ01 can in vitro inhibit adipocyte differentiation and fat storage in OP6 cells, in vivo improve the hyperlipidemia induced by P-407 in mice, which may be mediated by promoting glucose uptake and improving a lipid metabolite profile.