title: Effects of Artemisia species on de novo lipogenesis in vivo.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Botanical compounds and extracts are widely used as nutritional supplements for the promotion of health or the prevention of disease. An extract of Artemisia dracunculus (PMI 5011) has been shown to improve insulin action, yet the precise mechanism is not known. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that the mechanism by which PMI 5011 and two related Artemisia extracts improve insulin action is associated with a down-regulation of de novo lipogenesis (DNL) in the liver and an increase in DNL in the adipose tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diet-induced obese 16-wk-old male mice (C57 BL/6 J) were divided into four groups: (control, 5011, Santa, and Scopa) and fed for 30 d with respective extracts incorporated into the diet at 1% (w/w). Deuterium was administered on day 30 for the measurement of DNL in blood, liver, and white adipose tissue. Individual fatty acids and glycerol levels were also measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant differences were seen in DNL between the control group and the three botanical treatments. Plasma levels of all four long-chain fatty acids were significantly lower in the three treatment groups. Glycerol in the plasma was lower in the treatment groups compared with the control group; however, this did not reach statistical significance in all cases. Tissue levels of the fatty acids and glycerol did not differ between any of the treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that botanicals may not affect fractional DNL in animals on a high-fat diet. However, there were decreases in long-chain fatty acids and in glycerol coming from the newly synthesized triglycerides in plasma.
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Electronic address: Jennifer.Rood@pbrc.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rood
authors.affiliation: University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gettys
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Randall Ll
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Mynatt
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: William D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Cefalu
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D019306:Artemisia; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005990:Glycerol / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D050155:Lipogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D007328:Insulin; C541449:PMI-5011; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014280:Triglycerides; D005990:Glycerol
keywords: Botanical; De novo lipogenesis; Fatty acids; Glycerol; Obesity