Abstract
Obesity, a serious health risk factor, is often associated with depression and negatively affects many aspects of life. Injection of a formula comprising phosphatidylcholine (PPC) and deoxycholate (DC) has emerged as an alternative to liposuction in the reduction of local fat deposits. However, the formula component mainly responsible for this effect and the mechanism behind the actions of the components with respect to fat reduction are unknown. Here, we investigate the specific effects of PPC and DC on adipocyte viability. When exposed to PPC or DC, 3T3L1 preadipocytes and differentiated adipocytes showed dose dependent decrease in cell viability. Interestingly, while DC mediated cell death was non-specific to both preadipocytes and adipocytes, PPC specifically induced a decrease in mature adipocyte viability, but had less effect on preadipocytes. Injection of PPC and DC into inguinal fat pads caused reduction in size. PPC injections preferentially decreased gene expression in mature adipocytes, while a strong inflammatory response was elicited by DC injection. In line with the decreased adipocyte viability, exposure of differentiated adipocytes to PPC resulted in triglyceride release, with a minimal effect on free fatty acids release, suggesting that its fat-reducing effect mediated mainly through the induction of adipocyte cell death rather than lipolysis. Taken together, it appears that PPC specifically affects adipocytes, and has less effect on preadipocyte viability. It can therefore be a promising agent to selectively reduce adipose tissue mass.
Highlights
More than 30% of the US population suffers from obesity
The results of the MTT assay indicated that the PPC/DC formula and the DC-only treatments caused a comparable decrease in adipocyte viability (Fig 1C)
We observed that while the 0.03% DC treatment had a similar effect on the viability of either preadipocytes or adipocytes, the PPC/DC formula had a stronger effect on adipocytes than on preadipocytes (Fig 1A and 1C)
Summary
More than 30% of the US population suffers from obesity. It is a serious risk factor that can induce or exacerbate many metabolic disorders, including cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. It has been associated with mental health problems; there is an increased prevalence of depression among obese patients [1], which in turn negatively affects many aspects of life and can result in impaired social behavior, eating disorders, and lower. Selective effect of PPC on the lysis of adipocytes self-esteem [2]. The reduction of adipose tissue is important for solving medical issues as well as for aesthetic purposes
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