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Anthocyanins Inhibit Lipogenesis During Adipocyte Differentiation of 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes

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Abstract

Anthocyanins have been shown to suppress body weight and fat mass in animal studies. However, the effect of anthocyanins on the process of lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation is not fully understood and the lipogenic transcription factors regulated by anthocyanins have not been identified. We investigated the effects of anthocyanins on lipogenesis pathways during adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells. Anthocyanins reduced triglyceride (TG) accumulation in a dose-dependent manner during adipocyte differentiation. Accumulation of TG was rapidly reversed by anthocyanin withdrawal. Anthocyanins markedly reduced gene and protein expression levels of lipogenic transcription factors such as liver X receptor α, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-γ, and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein-α. In addition, the target gene and protein expression of these lipogenic transcription factors such as fatty acid synthase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase α were markedly suppressed by anthocyanins. Thus, anthocyanins suppress lipid accumulation in adipocytes due to broad inhibition of the transcription factors regulating lipogenesis. This may partially explain the mechanism by which anthocyanins exert their anti-obesity effect.

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Abbreviations

ACCα:

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase α

C/EBPα:

CCAAT enhancer-binding protein-α

FAS:

Fatty acid synthase

LXRα:

Liver X receptor α

PPARγ:

Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-γ

SCD-1:

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1

SREBP-1c:

Sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c

TG:

Triglyceride

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Pukyong National University Research Abroad Fund in 2013 (C-D-2013-0915).

Conflict of Interest

None of the authors have any conflict of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food science and Nutrition, Pukyong National University, 45 Yongso-ro, Nam-gu, Busan, 608-737, South Korea

    Bonggi Lee, Minsup Lee & Hyeung-Rak Kim

  2. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Bonggi Lee

  3. Center for Advanced Nutrition, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322-4715, USA

    Michael Lefevre

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  1. Bonggi Lee
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  2. Minsup Lee
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  3. Michael Lefevre
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  4. Hyeung-Rak Kim
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Correspondence to Hyeung-Rak Kim.

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Lee, B., Lee, M., Lefevre, M. et al. Anthocyanins Inhibit Lipogenesis During Adipocyte Differentiation of 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 69, 137–141 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-014-0407-z

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