Abstract
Obesity is a significant risk factor for various diseases. It is a clinical condition caused by the excessive accumulation of fat, which has a negative impact on human health. Galactin-12 is an adipocyte-expressed protein and possesses adipocyte-inducing activity. We investigated the expression level of candidate proteins involved in galactin-12-mediated adipocyte differentiation pathway. We performed a high-throughput screening assay to monitor galectin-12 promoter activity using 105 traditional Chinese herbs. Corn silk extract and (Formula presented.)-sitosterol reduced the expression of galactin-12 promoter in 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, corn silk extract and (Formula presented.)-sitosterol decreased the level of lipid droplets and downregulated the gene and protein expression level of C/EBP(Formula presented.), C/EBP(Formula presented.), PPAR(Formula presented.), Ap2, and adipsin in 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes via AKT and ERK1/2 inhibition. In vivo study with the oral administration of corn silk extract and (Formula presented.)-sitosterol in a mouse model showed a significant weight reduction and decrease in adipocytes in several organs such as the liver and adipose tissue. Taken together, corn silk extract and (Formula presented.)-sitosterol may effectively reduce pre-adipocyte differentiation by inhibiting galectin-12 activity and exerting anti-obesity effects. These findings highlight the potential use of corn silk extract and (Formula presented.)-sitosterol as potential candidates for the prevention and treatment of obesity.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-19 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | American Journal of Chinese Medicine |
DOIs | |
State | Accepted/In press - Jul 5 2018 |
Keywords
- (Formula presented.)-Sitosterol
- Adipogenesis
- Corn Silk
- Galectin-12
- Obesity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Complementary and alternative medicine