본 연구는 자색옥수수 색소 1호 포엽과 속대 추출물의 항비만 활성을 검정하고자 지방분해효소 저해활성을 평가 하고 3T3-L1 지방전구세포에서 지방분화억제 효과를 검정하고자 수행되었다. Pancreatic lipase 저해 활성 결과, 색소 1호 포엽 및 속대 추출물의 100, 500, 1,000 μg/mL 농 도처리구에서 양성대조군인 orlistat 보다 높은 저해 활성을 나타내었다. 3T3-L1 지방전구세포를 배양하여 색소 1 호 포엽 및 속대 추출물의 세포독성 평가를 수행한 결과, 추출물은 모든 처리농도에서 세포 생존율에 영향을 미치 지 않은 것으로 확인되었다. 분화된 3T3-L1 지방전구세포 에서 색소 1호 포엽과 속대 추출물을 처리하지 않고 분화 시킨 대조군은 lipid droplet의 형성이 활발하게 유발되었으나 색소 1호 포엽 및 속대 추출물의 처리에 의해 농도 의존적으로 lipid droplet의 형성이 억제되는 것으로 나타났다. Real-time PCR과 Western blot을 실시하여 PPARγ와 C/EBPα 유전자 및 단백질 발현량을 측정한 결과, 추출물을 처리하지 않고 분화시킨 대조군에서는 PPARγ와 C/ EBPα의 유전자 및 단백질 발현이 증가하였으며, 추출물 처리에 의해 PPARγ와 C/EBPα의 유전자 및 단백질 발현이 유의적으로 감소하였다. 본 연구 결과는 색소 1호 포엽 및 속대 추출물이 pancreatic lipase 활성 및 지방전구 세포의 분화를 억제시킴으로써 항비만 활성 기능성 물질 로의 활용 가능성이 높음을 시사한다.

The purpose of this study is to confirm whether spontaneous adipocyte generation during chondrogenic induction culture affects the chondrogenic differentiation of porcine skin-derived stem cells (pSSCs). For this purpose, chondrogenic differentiation characteristics and specific marker gene expression were analyzed using cell lines showing different characteristics of spontaneous adipocyte formation. Of the four different lines of pSSCs, the pSSCs-IV line showed higher Oil red O (ORO) and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) extraction levels. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that the levels of adipogenic markers peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARγ2) and adipocyte Protein 2 (aP2) mRNAs were significantly higher in pSSCs-IV than those of the other pSSC lines (P<0.05). Among three chondrogenic markers, collagen type II (Col II) and sex determining region Y-box (Sox9) mRNAs were strongly expressed in pSSCs-IV (P<0.05), but not in aggrecan (Agg), which was significantly higher in pSSCs-II (P<0.05). These results demonstrate that the spontaneous adipocyte generation during chondrogenic differentiation has a positive effect on the chondrogenesis of pSSCs. More research is needed on the correlation between adipocyte generation and cartilage formation.

The current study was conducted to investigate effects of sera taken from Hanwoo at different age on adipocyte differentiation. Sera were taken from Korean native (Hanwoo) steers at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age, respectively and supplemented to 3T3-L1 preadipocytes after the cells reached confluence and maintained 10 days thereafter. For the first 2 days (48 h), cells were induced to differentiate by addition of differentiation factors, methylisobutylxanthine, daxamethasone, and insulin. After the differentiation, the cells were incubated without differentiation factors except insulin. The cells lost their fibroblastic shape and showed round-up appearances after 10 days incubation with FBS and the sera of Hanwoo steers. Big lipid droplets appeared in the cells cultured with FBS and the sera taken from Hanwoo at 18 and 24 months of age. After 18 months of age, GPDH activity was statistically higher than 6 and/or 12 months of age (P < 0.05). Based on morphology and Sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activities, Hanwoo steers expressed aged-dependent adipogenic activities, indicating that aged sera may result in high adipocyte differentiation. It is concluded that the 18 months of age may be ‘threshold’ to express major adipogenic activities. This may strongly support previous field studies reporting considerable increase in fat contents of Hanwoo carcass at over 18 months of age.

Ricinus communis, belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, has been known as medicinal plants for treatment of inflammation, tumors, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective and laxative. Compared to many pharmacological studies, the effect of R. communis extract on regulating adipogenesis as therapeutic drug for treating obesity has not been reported. R. communis extract (RCE) was investigated to determine its effects on the adipogenesis by monitoring the status of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and factors involving the differentiation of adipocytes. The differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells monitored by Oil Red O staining was inhibited in concentration dependent manner by RCE. The luciferase activity of HEK 293-TOP cells containing pTOPFlash with Tcf4 response element-luciferase gene was increased approximately 2-folds by the treatment of RCE at concentrations of 100 μg/mL compared to the control. Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by RCE was further confirmed by immunocytochemical analysis which shows an increment of nuclear localization of β-catenin. In addition, safety of RCE was verified through performing neural stem cell morphology assay. Among the identified flavonoids in RCE, isoquercitrin was the most abundant. Therefore, these results indicate that the adipocyte differentiation was significantly reduced by isoquercitrin in R. communis. In this study, RCE suppresses the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells via the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Obesity, most often defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m2 caused by an imbalance between energyintake and expenditure. It is widely recognized as the largest and fastest growing public health problem in the developed anddeveloping world. Obesity results by an increase in adipose tissue mass, resulting from the multiplication of fat cells fol-lowed by adipogenesis and increased deposition of intracellular cytoplasmic triglycerides. In this study, we investigated theanti-adipogenic properties of the extracts (KEs) obtained from Kimchi (Korean traditional fermented vegetable) fermentedusing Kimchi refrigerator under different storage conditions. The intracellular lipid droplets in the differentiated adipocyteswere also measured. We observed that the KEs significantly lower the contents of cellular triglyceride and formation ofintracellular lipid droplets. These results suggested that KEs have anti-adipogenic effects and may contribute to food indus-tries in developing functional.

본 연구에서는 상백피의 소화효소 저해활성과 3T3-L1 전지방세포의 분화 억제능을 기반으로 항비만 효능소재로 서의 활용가능성을 평가하였다. 상백피의 에탄올 추출물 (MRE)은 α-amylase와 α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase를 활 용한 소화효소 저해활성 평가 실험에서 각각 7.86±0.36, 0.12±0.03, 7.93±0.11 mg/mL 의 IC50 값을 보이며 우수한 억제 활성을 나타냈다. 또한 3T3-L1 전지방세포를 활용한 세포분화억제효능실험에서 MRE 처리군의 세포내 지방 축 적율은 농도 의존적으로 감소되었다. 상백피의 항비만 작 용 기전을 구명하기 위하여 adipogenesis 및 lipogenesis와 관련된 유전자 발현양상을 분석한 결과, 상백피 추출물 처 리군에서는 생체내 지방대사 조절에 중요한 역할을 하는 FAS와 ACC 뿐 아니라 adipogenesis와 lipogenesis와 관련된 주요 전사요소인 PPARγ와 C/EBPα, SREBP-1c의 유전자 발현이 현저하게 억제되었다. qRT-PCR 분석 결과, 상백피 추출물의 anti-adipogenesis 효능은 전사단계에서의 관련 유 전자 발현억제에 기인한다고 판단되었다. 본 실험결과 상 백피 추출물은 전지방세포의 분화와 세포내 지질합성을 저해하고 비만과 관련 된 소화효소에 대한 저해활성을 나타 내었다. 이러한 결과를 기반으로 상백피의 비만 예방 소재 로서의 잠재적인 가능성을 확인하였다.