1.Pachymic acid promotes brown/beige adipocyte differentiation and lipid metabolism in preadipocytes.
Kunling CHEN ; Xiaobing DOU ; Yiyou LIN ; Danyao BAI ; Yangzhou LUO ; Liping ZHOU
Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences 2025;54(3):333-341
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the effect of pachymic acid on brown/beige adipocyte differentiation and lipid metabolism in preadipocytes.
METHODS:
3T3-L1 MBX cells were induced to differentiate into beige adipocytes using a brown cocktail method. The impact of pachymic acid on the viability of 3T3-L1 MBX cells was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. The formation of lipid droplets following treatment with pachymic acid was observed by oil red O staining. The mRNA expression levels of key browning genes, including uncoupling protein (Ucp) 1, the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ coactivator (Pgc)-1α, and the PR domain-containing protein 16 (Prdm16), as well as the mRNA expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (Srebp) 1c, acetyl-coA carboxylase (Acc), fatty acid synthase (Fas), and hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase (Hsl), adipose triglyceride lipase (Atgl), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (Cpt) 1 were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression of Ucp1, Pgc-1a, and Prdm16 was detected by Western blotting.
RESULTS:
The 3T3-L1 MBX cells were induced in vitro to form beige adipocytes with high expression of key browning genes(Ucp1, Pgc-1α, and Prdm16), and beige adipose-marker genes (Cd137, Tbx1, and Tmem26). Concentrations range of 0-80 μmol/L pachymic acid were non-cytotoxic to 3T3-L1 MBX cells. Pachymic acid treatment significantly inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 MBX cells, resulting in a notable decrease in lipid accumulation. There was a marked increase in the expression of key browning genes and their proteins products, such as Ucp1, Pgc-1α, and Prdm16, while the expressions of fat synthesis-related genes Srebp1c, Acc and Fas were significantly decreased (all P<0.05). The expressions of lipolysis-related genes (Hsl, Atgl, and Cpt1) were significantly increased (all P<0.05). Treatment with 20 μmol/L pachymic acid showed the most pronounced effect.
CONCLUSIONS
Pachymic acid can inhibit fat synthesis and promote lipid decomposition by regulating the brown formation and lipid differentiation of preadipocytes.
Animals
;
Lipid Metabolism/drug effects*
;
Mice
;
Cell Differentiation/drug effects*
;
Adipocytes, Beige/drug effects*
;
3T3-L1 Cells
;
Adipocytes, Brown/drug effects*
;
Triterpenes/pharmacology*
;
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha
;
Uncoupling Protein 1
;
Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1/metabolism*
2.Design and synthesis of novel saponin-triazole derivatives in the regulation of adipogenesis.
Yongsheng FANG ; Zhiyun ZHU ; Chun XIE ; Dazhen XIA ; Huimin ZHAO ; Zihui WANG ; Qian LU ; Caimei ZHANG ; Wenyong XIONG ; Xiaodong YANG
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(8):920-931
Saponins associated with Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng) demonstrate significant therapeutic efficacy across multiple diseases. However, certain high-yield saponins face limited clinical applications due to their reduced pharmacological efficacy. This study synthesized and evaluated 36 saponin-1,2,3-triazole derivatives of ginsenosides Rg1/Rb1 and notoginsenoside R1 for anti-adipogenesis activity in vitro. The research revealed that the ginsenosides Rg1-1,2,3-triazole derivative a17 demonstrates superior adipogenesis inhibitory effects. Structure-activity relationships (SARs) analysis indicates that incorporating an amidyl-substituted 1,2,3-triazole into the saponin side chain via Click reaction enhances anti-adipogenesis activity. Additionally, several other derivatives exhibit general adipogenesis inhibition. Compound a17 demonstrated enhanced potency compared to the parent ginsenoside Rg1. Mechanistic investigations revealed that a17 exhibits dose-dependent inhibition of adipogenesis in vitro, accompanied by decreased expression of preadipocytes. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) adipogenesis regulators. These findings establish the ginsenoside Rg1-1,2,3-triazole derivative a17 as a promising adipocyte differentiation inhibitor and potential therapeutic agent for obesity and associated metabolic disorders. This research provides a foundation for developing effective therapeutic approaches for various metabolic syndromes.
Adipogenesis/drug effects*
;
Triazoles/chemical synthesis*
;
Ginsenosides/chemical synthesis*
;
Saponins/chemical synthesis*
;
Animals
;
Mice
;
Structure-Activity Relationship
;
PPAR gamma/genetics*
;
3T3-L1 Cells
;
Adipocytes/metabolism*
;
Panax notoginseng/chemistry*
;
Drug Design
;
Molecular Structure
;
Humans
;
Cell Differentiation/drug effects*
;
Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins/genetics*
3.Astragalus polysaccharides improve adipose tissue aging in naturally aged mice via indole-3-lactic acid.
Yi-Yang BAO ; Ming-Xiao LI ; Xin-Xin GAO ; Wen-Jing WEI ; Wen-Jin HUANG ; Li-Zhong LIN ; Hao WANG ; Ning-Ning ZHENG ; Hou-Kai LI
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2024;49(22):5998-6007
Plant polysaccharides are effective components that widely present in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), exhibiting rich biological activities. However, as most plant polysaccharides cannot be directly absorbed and utilized by the human digestive system, it is now believed that their mode of action mainly involves interaction with intestinal microbiota, leading to the production of functional small molecules. The efficacy of Astragalus polysaccharide(APS) is extensive, including weight loss, improvement of fatty liver, reduction of blood lipids, and enhancement of insulin sensitivity, which may also be related to the regulation of intestinal microbiota. Adipose tissue senescence is an important characteristic of the physiological aging process in the body, often occurring prior to the aging of other important organs. Its main features include the accumulation of senescent cells and exacerbation of inflammation within the tissue. Therefore, to explore the potential protective effects of APS on aging, the improvement of adipose tissue aging phenotype in naturally aging mice was observed using APS, and combined with metagenomic metabolomics, corresponding microbial metabolic functional molecules were identified. Furthermore, functional tests in cell aging models were conducted. The results showed that APS significantly improved the adipocyte aging characteristics of naturally aging mice: specifically reducing aging-induced adipocyte hypertrophy; decreasing the protein expression of aging markers cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(P21) and multiple tumor suppressor 1(P16); lowering the tissue inflammation reaction. Metagenomic metabolomic analysis of serum from mice in each group revealed that APS significantly increased the content of indole-3-lactic acid(ILA) in naturally aging mice. Further in vitro studies showed that ILA could improve the aging of 3T3-L1 mouse embryonic fibroblasts induced by bleomycin, reduce the protein expression of the aging marker P21, alleviate inflammation, and enhance the ability of preadipocytes to mature. Therefore, APS had the efficacy of protecting naturally aging mice, and its action may be related to the increase in the intestinal microbiota metabolite ILA. This study suggested that TCM may serve as an important entry point for explaining the mechanism of action of TCM by regulating intestinal microbiota and their functional metabolites.
Animals
;
Mice
;
Aging/drug effects*
;
Adipose Tissue/metabolism*
;
Polysaccharides/pharmacology*
;
Indoles/pharmacology*
;
Male
;
Astragalus Plant/chemistry*
;
3T3-L1 Cells
;
Humans
;
Adipocytes/cytology*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Cellular Senescence/drug effects*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
;
Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects*
4.Bone Marrow Adipocytes Promote the Survival of Multiple Myeloma Cells and Up-Regulate Their Chemoresistance.
Xiao-Qian WEI ; Yang-Min ZHANG ; Yu SUN ; Hua-Yu LING ; Yuan-Ning HE ; Jin-Xiang FU
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2023;31(1):154-161
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effect of adipocytes in the bone marrow microenvironment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) on the pathogenesis of MM.
METHODS:
Bone marrow adipocytes (BMA) in bone marrow smears of health donors (HD) and newly diagnosed MM (ND-MM) patients were evaluated with oil red O staining. The mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from HD and ND-MM patients were isolated, and in vitro co-culture assay was used to explore the effects of MM cells on the adipogenic differentiation of MSC and the role of BMA in the survival and drug resistance of MM cells. The expression of adipogenic/osteogenic differentiation-related genes PPAR-γ, DLK1, DGAT1, FABP4, FASN and ALP both in MSC and MSC-derived adipocytes was determined with real-time quantitative PCR. The Western blot was employed to detect the expression levels of IL-6, IL-10, SDF-1α, TNF-α and IGF-1 in the supernatant with or without PPAR-γ inhibitor.
RESULTS:
The results of oil red O staining of bone marrow smears showed that BMA increased significantly in patients of ND-MM compared with the normal control group, and the BMA content was related to the disease status. The content of BMA decreased in the patients with effective chemotherapy. MM cells up-regulated the expression of MSC adipogenic differentiation-related genes PPAR-γ, DLK1, DGAT1, FABP4 and FASN, but the expression of osteogenic differentiation-related gene ALP was significantly down-regulated. This means that the direct consequence of the interaction between MM cells and MSC in the bone marrow microenvironment is to promote the differentiation of MSC into adipocytes at the expense of osteoblasts, and the cytokines detected in supernatant changed. PPAR-γ inhibitor G3335 could partially reverse the release of cytokines by BMA. Those results confirmed that BMA regulated the release of cytokines via PPAR-γ signal, and PPAR-γ inhibitor G3335 could distort PPAR-γ mediated BMA maturation and cytokines release. The increased BMA and related cytokines effectively promoted the proliferation, migration and drug resistance of MM cells.
CONCLUSION
The BMA and its associated cytokines are the promoting factors in the survival, proliferation and migration of MM cells. BMA can protect MM cells from drug-induced apoptosis and plays an important role in MM treatment failure and disease progression.
Humans
;
Osteogenesis/genetics*
;
Bone Marrow/metabolism*
;
Multiple Myeloma/metabolism*
;
Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
;
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors/pharmacology*
;
Cell Differentiation
;
Adipogenesis
;
Cytokines/metabolism*
;
Adipocytes/metabolism*
;
Bone Marrow Cells/metabolism*
;
Cells, Cultured
;
PPAR gamma/pharmacology*
;
Tumor Microenvironment
5.Research advances of adipose stem cell matrix gel in promoting wound healing.
Nan XING ; Ran HUO ; Hai Tao WANG ; Jin Cun YANG ; Jiong CHEN ; Lei PENG ; Xiao Wen LIU
Chinese Journal of Burns 2023;39(1):81-84
In recent years, with the problem of aging population in China being prominant, the number of patients with chronic wounds such as diabetic foot, pressure ulcer, and vascular ulcer is increasing. Those diseases seriously affect the life quality of patients and increase the economy and care burden of the patients' family, which have been one of the most urgent clinical problems. Many researches have confirmed that adipose stem cells can effectively promote wound healing, while exogenous protease is needed, and there are ethical and many other problems, which limit the clinical application of adipose stem cells. Adipose stem cell matrix gel is a gel-like mixture of biologically active extracellular matrix and stromal vascular fragment obtained from adipose tissue by the principle of fluid whirlpool and flocculation precipitation. It contains rich adipose stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, and macrophages, etc. The preparation method of adipose stem cell matrix gel is simple and the preparation time is short, which is convenient for clinical application. Many studies at home and abroad showed that adipose stem cell matrix gel can effectively promote wound healing by regulating inflammatory reaction, promoting microvascular reconstruction and collagen synthesis. Therefore, this paper summarized the preparation of adipose stem cell matrix gel, the mechanism and problems of the matrix gel in promoting wound repair, in order to provide new methods and ideas for the treatment of chronic refractory wounds in clinic.
Humans
;
Aged
;
Wound Healing/physiology*
;
Adipocytes
;
Adipose Tissue
;
Extracellular Matrix
;
Stem Cells
6.A convenient and time-saving method for primary culture of mature white adipocytes from mice.
Zhi Bo SHENTU ; Xin GONG ; Hui Di YANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2023;43(2):213-218
OBJECTIVE:
To establish a simple, low-cost and time-saving method for primary culture of mature white adipocytes from mice.
METHODS:
Mature white adipocytes were isolated from the epididymis and perirenal area of mice for primary culture using a modified mature adipocyte culture method or the ceiling culture method. The morphology of the cultured mature adipocytes was observed using Oil Red O staining, and the cell viability was assessed with CCK8 method. The expression of PPARγ protein in the cells was detected with Western blotting, and the mRNA expressions of CD36, FAS, CPT1A and FABP4 were detected using RT-qPCR.
RESULTS:
Oil Red O staining showed a good and uniform morphology of the adipocytes in primary culture using the modified culture method, while the cells cultured using the ceiling culture method exhibited obvious morphological changes. CCK8 assay showed no significant difference in cell viability between freshly isolated mature white adipocytes and the cells obtained with the modified culture method. Western blotting showed that the freshly isolated adipocytes and the cells cultured for 72 h did not differ significantly in the expression levels of PPARγ protein (P=0.759), which was significantly lowered in response to treatment with GW9662 (P < 0.001). GW9662 treatment of the cells upregulated mRNA expressions of CD36 (P < 0.001) and CPT1A (P=0.003) and down-regulated those of FAS (P=0.001) and FABP4 (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
We established a convenient and time-saving method for primary culture mature white adipocytes from mice to facilitate further functional studies of mature adipocytes.
Male
;
Mice
;
Animals
;
Adipocytes, White/metabolism*
;
PPAR gamma/metabolism*
;
RNA, Messenger
;
Cell Differentiation
;
3T3-L1 Cells
7.Overexpression of chicken Klf2 promotes klf7 transcription and inhibits adipocyte differentiation.
Qin GAO ; Hao ZHANG ; Yingjun WANG ; Xiaoling MU ; Zhiwei ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2023;39(4):1670-1683
Overexpression of Krüppel like factor 2 (Klf2) or Klf7 inhibits adipocyte formation. However, it remains unclear whether Klf2 regulates klf7 expression in adipose tissue. In this study, oil red O staining and Western blotting were employed to study the effect of Klf2 overexpression on the differentiation of chicken preadipocytes. The results showed that Klf2 overexpression inhibited the differentiation of chicken preadipocytes induced by oleate and the expression of pparγ, while promoted klf7 expression in chicken preadipocytes. Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the correlation between the expression data of klf2 and klf7 in the adipose tissue of both human and chicken. The results showed that there was a significantly positive correlation between the expression of klf2 and klf7 in adipose tissues (r > 0.1). Luciferase reporter assay showed that overexpression of Klf2 significantly promoted the activity of chicken klf7 promoter (-241/-91, -521/-91, -1 845/-91, -2 286/-91, -1 215/-91; P < 0.05). In addition, the activity of klf7 promoter (-241/-91) reporter in chicken preadipocytes was significantly positively correlated with the amount of klf2 overexpression plasmid transfected (Tau=0.917 66, P=1.074×10-7). Moreover, Klf2 overexpression significantly promoted the mRNA expression of klf7 in chicken preadipocytes (P < 0.05). In conclusion, upregulation of klf7 expression might be one of the pathways that Klf2 inhibits chicken adipocyte differentiation, and the sequence from -241 bp to -91 bp upstream chicken klf7 translation start site might mediate the regulation of Klf2 on klf7 transcription.
Animals
;
Humans
;
Chickens/genetics*
;
Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/metabolism*
;
Transcription Factors/metabolism*
;
Adipocytes/metabolism*
;
Adipose Tissue/metabolism*
8.Gene cloning and sequence analysis of the RPL29 gene and its effect on lipogenesis in goat intramuscular adipocytes.
Chengsi GONG ; Yaqiu LIN ; Tingting HU ; Yong WANG ; Yanyan LI ; Youli WANG
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2023;39(7):2695-2705
The aim of this study was to clone the goat RPL29 gene and analyze its effect on lipogenesis in intramuscular adipocytes. Using Jianzhou big-eared goats as the object, the goat RPL29 gene was cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the gene structure and expressed protein sequence were analyzed by bioinformatics, and the mRNA expression levels of RPL29 in various tissues and different differentiation stages of intramuscular adipocytes of goats were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The RPL29 overexpression vector pEGFP-N1-RPL29 constructed by gene recombination was used to transfect into goat intramuscular preadipocytes and induce differentiation. Subsequently, the effect of overexpression of RPL29 on fat droplet accumulation was revealed morphologically by oil red O and Bodipy staining, and changes in the expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism were detected by qRT-PCR. The results showed that the length of the goat RPL29 was 507 bp, including a coding sequence (CDS) region of 471 bp which encodes 156 amino acid residues. It is a positively charged and stable hydrophilic protein mainly distributed in the nucleus of cells. Tissue expression profiling showed that the expression level of this gene was much higher in subcutaneous adipose tissue and inter-abdominal adipose tissue of goats than in other tissues (P < 0.05). The temporal expression profile showed that the gene was expressed at the highest level at 84 h of differentiation in goat intramuscular adipocytes, which was highly significantly higher than that in the undifferentiated period (P < 0.01). Overexpression of RPL29 promoted lipid accumulation in intramuscular adipocytes, and the optical density values of oil red O staining were significantly increased (P < 0.05). In addition, overexpression of RPL29 was followed by a highly significant increase in ATGL and ACC gene expression (P < 0.01) and a significant increase in FASN gene expression (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the goat RPL29 may promote intra-muscular adipocyte deposition in goats by up-regulating FASN, ACC and ATGL.
Animals
;
Lipogenesis/genetics*
;
Adipogenesis/genetics*
;
Goats/genetics*
;
Adipocytes
;
Cell Differentiation/genetics*
;
Sequence Analysis
;
Cloning, Molecular
9.Advances in regulation of hypoxia on adipocyte development and lipid metabolism.
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2023;39(10):3925-3935
The growth, differentiation and proliferation of adipose cells run through the whole life process. Dysregulation of lipid metabolism in adipose cells affects adipose tissue immunity and systemic energy metabolism. Increasingly available data suggest that lipid metabolism is involved in regulating the occurrence and development of various diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes and cancer, which pose a major threat to human and animal health. Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is a major transcription factor mediating oxygen receptors in tissues and organs. HIF can induce disease by regulating lipid synthesis, fatty acid metabolism and lipid droplet formation. However, due to the difference of hypoxia degree, time and mode of action, there is no conclusive conclusion whether it has harmful or beneficial effects on the development of adipocytes and lipid metabolism. This article summarizes the regulation of hypoxia stress mediated transcription regulators and regulation of adipocyte development and lipid metabolism, aiming to reveal the potential mechanism of hypoxia induced changes in adipocyte metabolism pathways.
Animals
;
Humans
;
Lipid Metabolism
;
Adipocytes/metabolism*
;
Adipose Tissue/metabolism*
;
Hypoxia/metabolism*
;
Transcription Factors/metabolism*
10.Effect of Kartogenin combined with adipose-derived stem cells on tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Gang CHEN ; Qian ZHENG ; Mengfei LIU ; Haiyang HE ; Xiaochen JU ; Kan JIANG
Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery 2023;37(8):1002-1010
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effect of Kartogenin (KGN) combined with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in rabbits.
METHODS:
After the primary ADSCs were cultured by passaging, the 3rd generation cells were cultured with 10 μmol/L KGN solution for 72 hours. The supernatant of KGN-ADSCs was harvested and mixed with fibrin glue at a ratio of 1∶1; the 3rd generation ADSCs were mixed with fibrin glue as a control. Eighty adult New Zealand white rabbits were taken and randomly divided into 4 groups: saline group (group A), ADSCs group (group B), KGN-ADSCs group (group C), and sham-operated group (group D). After the ACL reconstruction model was prepared in groups A-C, the saline, the mixture of ADSCs and fibrin glue, and the mixture of supernatant of KGN-ADSCs and fibrin glue were injected into the tendon-bone interface and tendon gap, respectively. ACL was only exposed without other treatment in group D. The general conditions of the animals were observed after operation. At 6 and 12 weeks, the tendon-bone interface tissues and ACL specimens were taken and the tendon-bone healing was observed by HE staining, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) immunohistochemical staining, and TUNEL apoptosis assay. The fibroblasts were counted, and the positive expression rate of JNK protein and apoptosis index (AI) were measured. At the same time point, the tensile strength test was performed to measure the maximum load and the maximum tensile distance to observe the biomechanical properties.
RESULTS:
Twenty-eight rabbits were excluded from the study due to incision infection or death, and finally 12, 12, 12, and 16 rabbits in groups A-D were included in the study, respectively. After operation, the tendon-bone interface of groups A and B healed poorly, while group C healed well. At 6 and 12 weeks, the number of fibroblasts and positive expression rate of JNK protein in group C were significantly higher than those of groups A, B, and D (P<0.05). Compared with 6 weeks, the number of fibroblasts gradually decreased and the positive expression rate of JNK protein and AI decreased in group C at 12 weeks after operation, with significant differences (P<0.05). Biomechanical tests showed that the maximum loads at 6 and 12 weeks after operation in group C were higher than in groups A and B, but lower than those in group D, while the maximum tensile distance results were opposite, but the differences between groups were significant (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
After ACL reconstruction, local injection of a mixture of KGN-ADSCs and fibrin glue can promote the tendon-bone healing and enhance the mechanical strength and tensile resistance of the tendon-bone interface.
Animals
;
Rabbits
;
Adipocytes
;
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
;
Fibrin Tissue Adhesive/therapeutic use*
;
Stem Cells

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