title: Fermented blueberry juice extract and its specific fractions have an anti-adipogenic effect in 3 T3-L1 cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity and Type 2 diabetes have reached epidemic status worldwide. Wild lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) is a plant of the North American Aboriginal traditional pharmacopeia with antidiabetic potential, especially when it is fermented with Serratia vaccinii.
  
  
  METHODS
  A phytochemical fractionation scheme was used to identify potential bioactive compounds as confirmed by HPLC retention times and UV-Vis spectra. 3 T3-L1 cells were differentiated for 7 days with either Normal Blueberry Extract (NBE), Fermented Blueberry Extract (FBE/F1), seven fractions and four pure compounds. Triglyceride content was measured. Examination of selected intracellular signalling components (p-Akt, p-AMPK) and transcriptional factors (SREBP-1c and PPARγ) was carried out by Western blot analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The inhibitory effect of FBE/F1 on adipocyte triglyceride accumulation was attributed to total phenolic (F2) and chlorogenic acid enriched (F3-2) fractions that both inhibited by 75%. Pure compounds catechol (CAT) and chlorogenic acid (CA) also inhibited adipogenesis by 70%. Treatment with NBE, F1, F3-2, CAT and CA decreased p-AKT, whereas p-AMPK tended to increase with F1. The expression of SREBP1-c was not significantly modulated. In contrast, PPARγ decreased in all experimental groups that inhibited adipogenesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate that fermented blueberry extract contains compounds with anti-adipogenic activity, which can serve to standardize nutraceutical preparations from fermented blueberry juice and to develop novel compounds with anti-obesity properties.
authors.affiliation: Natural Health Products and Metabolic Diseases Laboratory and CIHR Team in Aboriginal Anti-diabetic Medicines, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-ville / P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Postal Station, Montreal, H3C 3 J7, QC, Canada.|Postgrade Program in Experimental Biology, Division of Health and Biological Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University of Iztapalapa, Mexico DF, Mexico.|Department of Health Sciences and Biological Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University of Iztapalapa Laboratory of Pharmacology, D.C.B.S, Mexico DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Mayra L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Villavicencio
authors.affiliation: Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Center, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, 32 Main St. Kentville, Nova Scotia, B4N 1 J5, Canada.
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vinqvist-Tymchuk
authors.affiliation: Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Center, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, 32 Main St. Kentville, Nova Scotia, B4N 1 J5, Canada.
authors.forename: Wilhelmina
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kalt
authors.affiliation: School of Nutrition Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 7 K4, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matar
authors.affiliation: Postgrade Program in Experimental Biology, Division of Health and Biological Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University of Iztapalapa, Mexico DF, Mexico.|Department of Health Sciences and Biological Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University of Iztapalapa Laboratory of Pharmacology, D.C.B.S, Mexico DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alarcón Aguilar
authors.affiliation: Postgrade Program in Experimental Biology, Division of Health and Biological Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University of Iztapalapa, Mexico DF, Mexico.|Department of Health Sciences and Biological Sciences, Metropolitan Autonomous University of Iztapalapa Laboratory of Pharmacology, D.C.B.S, Mexico DF, Mexico.
authors.forename: Maria Del Carmen
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Escobar Villanueva
authors.affiliation: Natural Health Products and Metabolic Diseases Laboratory and CIHR Team in Aboriginal Anti-diabetic Medicines, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128 Succ. Centre-ville / P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Postal Station, Montreal, H3C 3 J7, QC, Canada. pierre.haddad@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Pierre S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Haddad
mesh_terms: D041721:3T3-L1 Cells; D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D029798:Blueberry Plants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005285:Fermentation; D051379:Mice; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012705:Serratia / Q000378:metabolism*; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D047495:PPAR gamma; D010936:Plant Extracts; D051780:Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1
keywords: Adipogenesis; Fermented blueberry extract; Insulin signaling; Obesity