The Hot Water Extract of Angelica Gigas Nakai Root Promotes Adipogenic Differentiation via Activation of the Insulin Signaling Pathway in 3T3-L1 Cells

Abstract

In this study, the effects of the hot water root extract of Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and the possible mechanism of glucose transport were investigated. Post-confluent 3T3-L1 cells were differentiated in the presence (up to 400μg/ml) or absence of AGN Oil red O staining showed that AGN extract significantly enhanced adipocyte differentiation in a dose dependent manner. Intracellular lipid accumulation was significantly increased by the AGN treatment. RT-PCR and Western Blot analysis showed that AGN increased cell differentiation by upregulating the expression of PPARγ dose dependently. AGN also promoted glucose transport by increasing the expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT-4), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and insulin receptor substrates-1 (IRS-1). Our results suggest that AGN extract may be a potential therapeutic agent for managing Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) by promoting the differentiation of adipocytes via the upregulation of PPARγ levels and the activation of the insulin signaling pathway.