Abstract
Blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum Aiton; Kinisato 35 Gou) leaves have recently attracted increasing attention as a useful material for the prevention of lifestyle diseases. Here, we examined the effects of the hot water extract of blueberry leaves (BLEx) on lipogenesis and uric acid production in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The results showed that BLEx suppressed lipid accumulation and the mRNA expression of differentiation markers in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. A fractionation study showed that the highly polymerized proanthocyanidin-rich fraction was responsible for this effect. Upon maturation to adipocytes, 3T3-L1 cells produced uric acid and tumor necrosis factor-α, and hypoxia stimulated the production of uric acid and xanthine oxidoreductase activity. BLEx suppressed the production of uric acid under these conditions. Although BLEx inhibited the enzymatic activity of xanthine oxidase, this activity was observed in several fractions containing catechin, epicatechin, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and low molecular weight proanthocyanidins. Taken together, these results indicate that BLEx contains various compounds with the ability to suppress lipid accumulation and uric acid production in adipocytes.
Highlights
Obesity is an underlying condition associated with various lifestyle diseases and is an emerging problem worldwide
All these parameters were prominently upregulated after maturation (Figure 1), verifying that this cell line was suitable for the simultaneous evaluation of adipogenesis and uric acid production
We evaluated the effect of blueberry leaf hot water extract (BLEx) on adipogenesis and uric acid production in adipocytes
Summary
Obesity is an underlying condition associated with various lifestyle diseases and is an emerging problem worldwide. Utilizing functional foods for preventing obesity is a reasonable approach in daily life, and recent accumulating studies indicate its feasibility. Various plants and their extracts have been attracting increasing attention for the prevention of obesity and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [1,2,3]. We have focused on the blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum Aiton) leaf as a putative material for the prevention of lifestyle diseases. Blueberry leaf infusion has been used as a folk medicine for lifestyle-related diseases in Europe, even though scientific evidence proving its benefits has not been fully established. Blueberry (Vaccinium corybosum L.) leaf extract had the ability to inhibit inflammatory response in mouse macrophage-like cells [4]
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