Antiobesity effects of a sulfur compound thiacremonone mediated via down-regulation of serum triglyceride and glucose levels and lipid accumulation in the liver of db/db mice.
Garlic is widely used as a spice. Garlic extracts exert anticancer and antiinflammatory effects, but its antiobesity efficacy studies have produced conflicting results. The antiobesity effects of thiacremonone, a sulfur compound isolated from garlic, was evaluated in obese db/db mice. Thiacremonone was orally administrated to mice for 3 weeks. The thiacremonone-treated db/db mice showed a loss of body weight and decrease in blood triglyceride and glucose levels compared with the control mice. Histological analysis further revealed that thiacremonone significantly decreased lipid accumulation in the fatty livers of treated db/db mice. It was observed that GLUT-4 expression and glucose uptake were up-regulated by thiacremonone in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Thiacremonone treatment also suppressed expression levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), which are involved in lipid metabolism, in the liver of db/db mice. In addition, thiacremonone enhanced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) expression in the fatty liver. Taken together, these results suggest that thiacremonone may play a vital role in improving the management of obesity and related metabolic syndromes via inhibition of lipid accumulation.
College of Pharmacy and Medical Research Center, Chungbuk National University, 48 Gaeshin-dong, Heungduk-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk 361-763, Korea.
Jung Ok
JO
Ban
Dong Hun
DH
Lee
Eun Jin
EJ
Kim
Jeong Woo
JW
Kang
Man Sub
MS
Kim
Min Chul
MC
Cho
Heon Sang
HS
Jeong
Jong Wan
JW
Kim
Young
Y
Yang
Jin Tae
JT
Hong
Do Young
DY
Yoon
D041721:3T3-L1 Cells; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects*; D001835:Body Weight; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005737:Garlic / Q000737:chemistry; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4 / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D013457:Sulfur Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D001786:Blood Glucose; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4; D047495:PPAR gamma; C495693:Slc2a4 protein, mouse; D013457:Sulfur Compounds; D013876:Thiophenes; D014280:Triglycerides; C524083:thiacremonone; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase; D005947:Glucose