Abstract
This study was conducted to explore the antiadipogenic effect and possible mechanism of Gambisan on 3T3-L1 cells. For quality control, Gambisan was standardized by HPLC and the standard compounds ephedrine, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and caffeine were screened. Cultured 3T3-L1 cells that had been induced to differentiate were treated with various concentrations of Gambisan or its major component extracts (Ephedra intermedia Schrenk, Atractylodes lancea DC., and Thea sinensis L.) for 72 hours for MTT assay to determine cell viability or 10 days for LDH assay, triglyceride assay, DNA content measurement, Oil red O staining, RT-PCR, and western blot. Gambisan significantly inhibited adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells by reducing triglyceride contents and lipid accumulation in a dose-dependent manner without obvious cytotoxicity. Viability and DNA content in 3T3-L1 cells treated with Gambisan were significantly higher than cells treated with the major component extracts at every concentration. The anti-adipogenic effects of Gambisan appeared to be mediated by a significant downregulation of the expression of lipoprotein lipase mRNA and PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP-1 protein apart from the expression of hormone-sensitive lipase. Gambisan could act as a possible therapeutic agent for obesity. However, further studies including in vivo assays and clinical trials are needed to confirm the efficacy, safety and mechanisms of the antiobesity effects of Gambisan.
Highlights
Obesity, defined as an excessive body weight in the shape of fat accumulation that may impair health, is one of the most common global metabolic disorders, affecting up to an estimated 61% of adults including both overweight and obese
Viability of 3T3-L1 cell populations treated with Ephedra intermedia Schrenk, Atractylodes lancea DC., and Thea sinensis L. for 72 hr was markedly decreased to the extent that the survival rates of cells were only about 60% even at the initial concentration of 0.01 μg/mL (Figures 2(a)(B), 2(a)(C), and 2(a)(D))
The viability in 3T3-L1 cells treated with Gambisan for 72 hr was significantly higher than that of populations treated with the major component extracts at every concentration (P < 0.0001, analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Scheffe’s test), and the viability in Gambisan-treated 3T3-L1 cells for 10 days was significantly higher than that of populations treated with the major component extracts at concentrations of 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 μg/mL (P < 0.05, ANOVA with Tukey’s test)
Summary
Obesity, defined as an excessive body weight in the shape of fat accumulation that may impair health, is one of the most common global metabolic disorders, affecting up to an estimated 61% of adults including both overweight and obese. It has been conclusively linked with various medical conditions including dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, some cancers, and osteoarthritis (OA) [1, 2]. The primary treatments of obesity are lifestyle modification, drug therapy, and bariatric surgery. Pharmacotherapy is recommended when these kinds of approaches prove insufficient or when obesity is severe
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