Obesity remains a continuing global health concern, as it is associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases. Atractylodes chinensis Koidz. (Ac) is traditionally used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, hepatitis, and gastric ulcers. Despite the diverse pharmacological activities of Ac, scientific evidence for the use of Ac in obesity is still limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the anti-obesity effects of Ac. C57BL/6N mice were divided into five groups as follows: chow diet group (CON), 45% HFD group, HFD + oral administration of orlistat group, and HFD + oral administration of Ac groups. RT-PCR and western blotting were used to examine the expression of molecules relating to obesity progression. Ac-administered mice showed dramatically decreased body weight and weight gain compared to the high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. In addition, Ac administration attenuated the protein expression levels of adipogenic transcription factors in the white adipose tissue (WAT) and livers of HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, Ac administration declined the expression levels of lipogenic genes, while enhancing those of the fatty acid oxidation genes in the WAT of HFD-fed mice. Importantly, Ac administration highly upregulated the AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression levels in WAT of the HFD-induced obese mouse model. Our results provide evidence that Ac can effectively ameliorate weight gain and adipose tissue expansion.

Yin-tonic herbal medicines have been shown to possess properties that make skin healthy by nourishing within various organs of the body. However, the antiphotoaging effect of these medicines on the skin has not been fully studied. Photoaging occurs with prolonged sun exposure and causes skin damage and aging, with depletion of the dermal extracellular matrix and chronic alterations in skin structure, such as wrinkles. In this study, we assessed the antiphotoaging effects of eight yin-tonic herbal medicines on human skin cells and skin equivalents. The levels of type I procollagen and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in ultraviolet B- (UVB-) irradiated CCD-986sk fibroblasts were measured, and then three medicines were chosen based on screening results. Using UVB-irradiated human skin equivalents, we evaluated the effect of three yin-tonic herbal medicines on histological changes of skin, epidermal and dermal thickness, and MMP-1 production. Furthermore, we observed collagen fiber content and protein expression of filaggrin in UVB-irradiated human skin equivalents. Yin-tonic herbal medicines increased type I procollagen levels and decreased the production of MMP-1 in UVB-irradiated CCD-986sk fibroblasts. The three selected yin-tonic herbal medicines recovered the collagen content and filaggrin expression via MMP-1 downregulation in UVB-irradiated human skin equivalents. Our results show that yin-tonic herbal medicines can prevent skin photoaging by reduction of MMP-1 levels and increasing the expression of moisturizing factors. Based on these results, we suggest that yin-tonic herbal medicines have the potential to be used as helpful agent for skin photoaging.

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