• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.356-363
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• 2013

Clinical and preclinical trials of involving drugs with anti-obesity effects have focused on screening for herbal medicines suspected to have anti-obesity activities. In this study, an extract of Aster scaver Thunb., which was prepared in 80% methanol (ASE), was assessed for its total phenol content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity ability to scavenge the ${\alpha}-{\alpha}$-diphenyl-${\beta}$-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis-[3-ethylbenzthiazoline]-6-sulfonic acid radical, and anti-adipogenic effects. The anti-adipogenic effect of ASE on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes to adipocytes was investigated by assaying the suppression of adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation by using western blot analysis and the Oil Red-O assay, respectively. The staining results showed that ASE significantly inhibited 3T3-L1. Western blot analysis results showed that ASE decreased the levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\gamma}$, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ${\alpha}$, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c. These results demonstrate that ASE directly inhibits the differentiation of preadipocytes, and might be an important adjunct in the therapeutic efforts to reduce adipogenesis.