The effect of anthocyanins extracted from black soybean (Glycine max L.) seed coats on body weight, adipose tissue weight, and serum lipids was evaluated in rats fed a high fat diet (HFD). Rats were raised on a normal diet (ND) (based on the AIN-93M diet), HFD (ND supplemented with 16% lard oil), HFD containing 10% black soybean, and HFD containing 0.037% black soybean anthocyanins (equivalent to that in the 10% black soybean diet). Weight gain was significantly lowered in the rats fed HFD plus black soybean anthocyanins compared with the rats fed HFD alone (P < .05) and reversed to the level of the rats fed ND. The black soybean diet also decreased body weight gain compared with the HFD (P < .05). The black soybean anthocyanins-added diet suppressed the HFD-induced weight gain in liver intermediately and tended to decrease the weights of epididymal and perirenal fat pads. The black soybean anthocyanins were also effective in improving the lipid profile. They significantly reduced the levels of serum triglyceride and cholesterol (P < .05), while they markedly increased the high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentration, which was decreased in the rats fed HFD (P < .05). These results indicate that the anthocyanins in black soybean seed coats have an anti-obesity effect, which can reverse the effects of HFD on body weight, adipose tissue weight, and serum lipid contents.

Mice lacking CD81 (TAPA-1), a widely expressed tetraspanin molecule, have impaired antibody responses to protein antigens. This defect is specific to antigens that preferentially stimulate a T helper 2 response (ovalbumin or keyhole limpet hemocyanin in alum) and is only seen with T cell-dependent antigens. Absence of CD81 on B cells is sufficient to cause the defect. Also, antigen-specific interleukin (IL) 4 production is greatly reduced in the spleen and lymph nodes of CD81-null mice compared with heterozygous littermates. Thus, expression of CD81 on B cells is critical for inducing optimal IL-4 and antibody production during T helper 2 responses. These findings suggest that CD81 may interact with a ligand on T cells to signal IL-4 production. By using a soluble form of CD81 as a probe, a putative ligand for CD81 was identified on a subset of B and T cells. Two possible models for the interaction of CD81 on B cells with a potential ligand on either B or T cells are proposed.

ATP is co-localized with norepinephrine at the sympathetic nerve terminals and may be released simultaneously upon neuronal stimulation, which results in activation of purinergic receptors. To examine whether leptin synthesis and lipolysis are influenced by P2 purinergic receptor activation, the effects of ATP and other nucleotides on leptin secretion and glycerol release have been investigated in differentiated rat white adipocytes. Firstly, insulin-induced leptin secretion was inhibited by nucleotide treatment with the following efficacy order: 3-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl ATP (BzATP) > ATP > > UTP. Secondly, treatment of adipocytes with ATP increased both intracellular Ca 2؉ concentration and cAMP content. Intracellular calcium concentration was increased by ATP and UTP, but not BzATP, an effect attributed to phospholipase C-coupled P2Y 2 . On the other hand, cAMP was generated by treatment with BzATP and ATP␥S, but not UTP, indicating functional expression of adenylyl cyclase-coupled P2Y 11 receptors in white adipocytes. Thirdly, lipolysis was significantly activated by BzATP and ATP, which correlated with the characteristics of the P2Y 11 subtype. Taken together, the data presented here suggest that white adipocytes express at least two different types of P2Y receptors and that activation of P2Y 11 receptor might be involved in inhibition of leptin production and stimulation of lipolysis, suggesting that purinergic transmission can play an important role in white adipocyte physiology.Obesity results from a chronic disequilibrium between caloric intake and energy expenditure and is a major risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, and metabolic syndromes, including insulin-independent diabetes and dyslipidemia. Lipolysis is the hydrolysis of the ester bonds in triacylglycerol, which is composed of three fatty acids esterified to glycerol. Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)

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Metabolic diseases, such as glucose intolerance and nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease (NAFLD), are primary risk factors for life-threatening conditions such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and hepatic cancer. Extracts from the tropical tree Moringa oleifera show antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. Fermentation can further improve the safety and nutritional value of certain foods. We investigated the efficacy of fermented M. oleifera extract (FM) against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced glucose intolerance and hepatic lipid accumulation and investigated the underlying mechanisms by analyzing expression of proteins and genes involved in glucose and lipid regulation. C57BL/6 mice were fed with normal chow diet (ND) or HFD supplemented with distilled water (DW, control), nonfermented M. oleifera extract (NFM), or FM for 10 weeks. Although body weights were similar among HFD-fed treatment groups, liver weight was decreased, and glucose tolerance test (GTT) results improved in the FM group compared with DW and NFM groups. Hepatic lipid accumulation was also lower in the FM group, and expressions of genes involved in liver lipid metabolism were upregulated. In addition, HFD-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, oxidative stress, and lipotoxicity in quadriceps muscles were decreased by FM. Finally, proinflammatory cytokine mRNA expression was decreased by FM in the liver, epididymal adipose tissue, and quadriceps of HFD-fed mice. FMs may decrease glucose intolerance and NAFLD under HFD-induced obesity by decreasing ER stress, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

The effect of two putative probiotic strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus BFE5264 and Lactobacillus plantarum NR74, on the control of cholesterol efflux in enterocytes was assessed by focusing on the promotion of ATP-binding cassette sub-family G members 5 and 8 (ABCG5 and ABCG8). Differentiated Caco-2 enterocytes were treated with live bacteria, heat-killed bacteria, a bacterial cell wall fraction, and metabolites and were subjected to cholesterol uptake assay, mRNA analysis, and protein analyses. Following LXR-transfection by incubation with CHO-K1 cells in DNA-lipofectin added media, the luciferase assay was conducted for LXR analysis. Treatment of Caco-2 cells with L. rhamnosus BFE5264 (isolated from traditional fermented Maasai milk) and L. plantarum NR74 (isolated from Korean kimchi) resulted in the up-regulation of LXR, concomitantly with the elevated expression of ABCG5 and ABCG8. This was associated with the promotion of cholesterol efflux at significantly higher levels compared to the positive control strain L. rhamnosus GG (LGG). The experiment with CHO-K1 cells confirmed up-regulation of LXR-beta by the test strains, and treatment with the live L. rhamnosus BFE5264 and L. plantarum NR74 strains significantly increased cholesterol efflux. Heat-killed cells and cell wall fractions of both LAB strains induced the upregulation of ABCG5/8 through LXR activation. By contrast, LAB metabolites did not show any effect on ABCG5/8 and LXR expression. Data from this study suggest that LAB strains, such as L. rhamnosus BFE5264 and L. plantarum NR74, may promote cholesterol efflux in enterocytes, and thus potentially contribute to the prevention of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.

The purpose of the current study was to determine the anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory effects of an extract of purple sweet potatoes (PSPs) on 3T3-L1 adipocytes. For this purpose, differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with a PSP extract at concentrations of 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 μg/mL for 24 hours. Then, we measured the changes in the sizes of the adipocytes, the secretion of leptin, and the mRNA/protein expression of lipogenic, inflammatory, and lipolytic factors after the treatment with the PSP extract. The PSP extract diminished leptin secretion, indicating that growth of fat droplets was suppressed. The extract also suppressed the expression of mRNAs of lipogenic and inflammatory factors and promoted lipolytic action. The antioxidative activity of the PSP extract was also measured using three different in vitro methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing ability potential assay, and chelating activity of transition metal ions. Taken together, our study shows that PSP extract has antilipogenic, anti-inflammatory, and lipolytic effects on adipocytes and has radical scavenging and reducing activity.

Expression of the gene encoding metallothionein, a low molecular-weight cysteine-rich, stress-response and metal-binding protein was examined in human adipose tissue. The mRNA for MT-2A, a major metallothionein isoform in humans, was detected in subcutaneous fat using a specific antisense oligonucleotide probe. The level of MT-2A mRNA was significantly higher in a group of obese subjects than in a lean group, paralleling a similar increase in ob mRNA. A two-week period on a diet of 800 calories/day did not lead to any significant change in MT-2 mRNA levels. Separation of mature adipocytes from the cells of the stromal vascular fraction indicated that in human adipose tissue the metallothionein (MT-2A) gene is expressed both in adipocytes and in other cells of the tissue.