Indian Gooseberry and Barley Sprout Mixture Inhibits Adipogenesis and Lipogenesis Activity in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Abstract

This study aimed to confirm the synergistic effect of an Indian gooseberry (IG) and barley sprout (BP) mixture in differentiated adipocytes. To this end, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with IG, BP, and IGBP mixtures during the differentiation period. On the last day of differentiation, we measured intracellular cAMP, triglyceride (TG), and fatty acid (FA) levels, as well as performed Oil Red O staining, glycerol release, and Western blot assays. During adipogenesis, IGBP (200 μg/mL) increased the cAMP levels by more than 2-fold and decreased the protein expressions levels of p-CREB (66.3%), C/EBPα (79.4%), C/EBPβ (85.9%), and PPARγ (74.1%) compared to those in the C group. Furthermore, the expression levels of the adipogenesis-related genes and GLUT4 (more than 3-fold) were regulated. During lipogenesis, the IGBP (200 μg/mL) activated AMPK and ACC levels and reduced the protein expression levels of SREBP1c, FAS, and LPL. This reduced the FA and TG contents in the cells by 47.6% and 76.3%, respectively, compared to those in the differentiated control (C) group, resulting in a more than 5-fold increase in glycerol release. In conclusion, we found that IGBP inhibited TG synthesis during adipogenesis and lipogenesis, and thus, displayed potential as a functional health food for preventing obesity.