Bavachinin (BVC), a prenylated flavonoid from Psoralea corylifolia seeds, is a reported natural PPAR agonist, but its metabolic efficacy and potential skeletal effects are unclear. This study examined the functional actions of BVC across various metabolic, inflammatory, and skeletal systems. BVC moderately activated PPAR, enhanced aP2 expression, and promoted adipogenic differentiation in hMSCs and in a de novo fat pad model. In high-fat diet-induced obese mice, BVC improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, restored Ser273-dependent PPAR target gene expression, and inhibited PPAR phosphorylation at Ser273 without inducing TZD-like side effects such as fluid retention, cardiac hypertrophy, or ENaC upregulation. BVC also suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and nitric oxide production in adipocytes, macrophages, and adipose tissue. In contrast to its metabolic benefits, BVC inhibited the osteoblast differentiation of hMSCs and impaired bone regeneration in a rat calvarial defect model. Hence, BVC acts as a selective PPAR modulator with metabolic and anti-inflammatory benefits but has adverse skeletal effects, highlighting its therapeutic potential benefits but noting important safety considerations regarding its use.

This study was performed to develop a Kdiet-index based on the definitions and characteristics of traditional Korean food. The Korean Food Pattern Index (Kdiet-index) for diseases was applied using dietary data from the 2017 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the association between Kdiet-index and metabolic disease was confirmed. The study subjects were 1,971 Korean adults aged >40, and the components were classified according to 14 criteria used to establish the Kdiet-index. Main ingredients up to the top 3 were designated using dish names, ingredients, and contents using KNHANES dietary data. Kdiet-index was classified using scores of ≤3 points, 4-7 points, and ≥8 points and total Kdietindex were calculated by summing dietary scores. Correlations between Kdiet-index and obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes were analyzed. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for obesity were 0.531, 0.385~0.732 and for elevated cholesterol (≥240 mg/dL) indices were 0.471, 0.282~0.788, respectively, which showed a significant decreased in the risk for each disease for Kdiet-index of ≥8 points. This study confirms that metabolically related clinical results improved significantly as Kdiet-index increased and that higher Korean food pattern indices are associated with lower risks of metabolic disease