Abstract
Adipose tissue dysfunction constitutes a primary defect in obesity and might link this disease to severe chronic health problems. We aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of three extracts from Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) as well as their effects on mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes concerning intracellular lipid accumulation and cytotoxicity, this would give indications regarding therapeutic interest of dandelion as potential anti-obesity candidate. Antioxidant activities of extracts from dandelion roots and leaves were evaluated in vitro using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhyorazyl (DPPH) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) methods at the concentration range used in cellular assays (300–600 µg/mL). The influence of the extracts on mature 3T3-L1 adipocyte viability was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Lipid content was determined by Oil-red-O staining. The extracts showed effective antioxidant activity correlating with total flavonoid and polyphenol contents. However, the functionality level was weakly associated with the antioxidant activity. Further, our data demonstrated that mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes reduced in size and number when incubated with the extracts, which suggests a significant increase in lipolysis activity. Particularly, leaf extract and crude powdered root of dandelion reduced triglyceride accumulation in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes to a greater extent that the extract from the root. Our study shows anti-lipogenic effects of dandelion extracts on adipocytes as well as radical scavenging and reducing activity. Importantly, along with previous results indicating that cell populations cultivated in the presence of the dandelion extracts decrease in 3T3-L1 adipogenesis capacity, these results suggests that these extracts might represent a treatment option for obesity-related diseases by affecting different processes during the adipocyte life cycle.
Highlights
Free radicals play a dual role in the organism as both deleterious and beneficial species
The three dandelion extracts were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) following the established procedure described in the methods section in order to quantify the main phenolic components (Table 1)
Leaf extract contains a higher amount of total phenolics—i.e., 28.32 mg/g dry weigh extract (DWE)—than the crude powdered root extract (3.05 mg/g DWE) and the root extract
Summary
Free radicals play a dual role in the organism as both deleterious and beneficial species. In low/moderate concentrations, free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in normal physiological functions required for cellular signaling. Excessive production of free radicals or a decrease in antioxidant levels leads to oxidative stress. Increased oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some chronic diseases associated to aging [1]. There is evidence to support the role of dietary antioxidants in the prevention, incidence and severity of cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases [2], randomized trials of antioxidants have generally failed to demonstrate this effect [3,4]. It is important to note that antioxidants (mixed with other components) consumed directly with the diet might not be the same as those pure compounds usually used in clinical trials. The two major classes of antioxidants are enzymatic and non-enzymatic
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