Expression studies of key adipogenic transcriptional factors reveal that the anti-adipogenic properties of retinol in primary cultured human preadipocytes are due to retinol per se.
The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism(s) underlying the antiadipogenic effect of retinol that we recently reported in primary cultured human preadipocytes. Exposure of human preadipocytes to the potent alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor, 4-methyl-pyrazole, failed to alter the antiadipogenic effect of retinol (3.5 microm), suggesting that the latter effect is due to retinol per se rather than to its oxidation product, retinoic acid (RA). Moreover, retinol, in contrast to what is generally observed with RA, did not alter the expression of the major adipogenic transcriptional factors PPARgamma and C/EBPalpha but, like RA, reduced transcription of an adipospecific gene controlled in part by C/EBP, the ob gene. These results indicate that retinol per se inhibits the adipo-conversion of human preadipocytes and suggest that the mechanisms of this antiadipogenic action implies at least in part inhibition of C/EBP transcriptional activity.
Machinal-Quélin
F
F
Laboratoire de Recherche, Centre hospitalier, 78303 Poissy Cedex, France.
Dieudonné
M N
MN
Leneveu
M C
MC
Pecquery
R
R
Castelli
D
D
Oddos
T
T
Giudicelli
Y
Y