• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1393-1398
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• 2015

In this study, we investigated the extraction condition of alginate from Laminaria japonica, the enzymatic degradation of the extracted alginate, and the inhibitory activity of the degraded alginate on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The optimal conditions for the efficient extraction, precipitation, and recovery of alginate from the brown seaweed L. japonica were 1% for Na₂CO₃ concentration, 80℃ for extraction temperature, and ethanol for precipitation solvent. In the enzymatic reaction for the production of low-molecular-weight alginate (LMWA) by using alginate lyase from Flavobacterium sp., the initial concentration of Laminaria alginate was 3%. The low-molecular-weight degree from alginate was independent with the enzyme concentration, and the optimal concentration of alginate lyase was found to be 5 unit/ml. Through the enzymatic reaction with 5 unit/ml of alginate lyase at 37℃ for 3 hr, the viscosity and molecular weight of LMWA were 4.5 cp and 307 kDa, respectively. Treatment with LMWA significantly suppressed the accumulation of lipid droplet and triglyceride in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes with a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, it seems that LMWA treatment could inhibit the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. These results indicate that LMWA or the degraded alginate produced by alginate lyase enzyme can be useful for the development of anti-obesity biosubstances.