Inhibitory effect 6-gingerol on adipogenesis through activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
6-Gingerol has been reported to inhibit adipogenesis and lipid content accumulation. However, the mechanism of its anti-adipogenic effect remains unclear. Our aim is to investigate the molecular mechanism of the anti-adipogenic effect of 6-gingerol. The lipid content in adipocytes was measured by Oil Red O staining and cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay. The extent of suppression of differentiation by 6-gingerol was characterized by measuring the triglyceride content and GPDH activity. The regulation of adipogenic markers and the components of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway were analyzed by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The nuclear location of β-catenin was identified using immunofluorescence assay. Small interfering RNA transfection was conducted to elucidate the crucial role of β-catenin in anti-adipogenic effect of 6-gingerol. Our results showed that 6-gingerol inhibited the adipogenesis and lowered the mRNA expression levels of transcription factors and the key lipogenic enzymes in 3T3-L1 cells. The effect of 6-gingerol on adipogenic differentiation was accompanied by stimulating the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In addition, we found that 6-gingerol induced phosphorylations of glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β), and promoted the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. Importantly, the inhibitory effect of 6-gingerol on adipogenic differentiation was reversed after the siRNA knockdown of β-catenin was added. Our findings demonstrated that 6-gingerol inhibits the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells through activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200040, China. Electronic address: lichunbo142@126.com.
Chunbo
C
Li
Department of urology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Lin
L
Zhou
D041721:3T3-L1 Cells; D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002396:Catechols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D051379:Mice; D010766:Phosphorylation; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway / Q000187:drug effects*
D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D002396:Catechols; D005233:Fatty Alcohols; C007845:gingerol; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605507:Gsk3b protein, mouse; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
6-gingerol; Adipogenic differentiation; Natural herb; WNT/β-catenin