Naringenin and hesperetin, two flavonoids derived from Citrus aurantium up‐regulate transcription of adiponectin

Abstract

The dried, immature fruit of Citrus aurantium L., 'Zhiqiao' in Chinese, has been used to treat cardiovascular diseases in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Naringenin and hesperetin and their glycosides present in considerable amounts (about 10 approximately 15%) in the herb. The aim of this study is to test whether naringenin and hesperetin influence adiponectin expression, which plays an important role in glucose and lipid metabolism with antiatherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Treatment with naringenin and hesperetin enhanced adiponectin transcription in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Both naringenin and hesperetin induced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma-controlled luciferase expression in a dose-dependent manner (20-160 microM), whereas only naringenin possessed significant activity to activate PPARalpha. These results suggested the two flavonoids might exert antiatherogenic effects partly through activating PPAR and up-regulating adiponectin expression in adipocytes. Our findings give new insight for the molecular explanations for the therapeutic effects of Zhiqiao.

Identification of bioactive compounds from flowers of black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) that activate the human peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR) γ

“…A few investigations link naringenin and PPARγ activation but published results are contradictory. Liang et al (2001) found naringenin to be unable to activate PPARγ, whereas Liu et al (2008) showed that naringenin is able to up-regulate transcription of adiponectin and induce dose-dependent expression of PPARγ-controlled luciferase reporter in a concentration range from 20-160 μM. This reported dosedependent activation of PPARγ by naringenin corresponds with our fi ndings although different cell lines were used.…”

“…These include among others the isofl avones genistein and daidzein primarily found in soybeans and soy-products (Dang et al, 2003;Mezei et al, 2003) as well as widespread fl avone and fl avonol aglycones (Huang et al, 2005;Liu et al, 2008). Clearly, many fl avone, fl avanone, fl avonol, and isofl avone aglycones have marked infl uence on PPARγ indicating that the size and the shape of the fl avonoid aglycones make them suitable ligands for PPARγ in contrast to their respective glycosides.…”

Hesperedin promotes MyoD‐induced myogenic differentiation in vitro and in vivo

“…A high dietary intake of hesperedin has been implicated in lowering serum cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease (Bok et al, 1999;Wilcox et al, 2001;Kanaze et al, 2007;Jin et al, 2008;Liu et al, 2008), inhibiting breast cancer (Choi, 2007) and protecting cells from oxidative stresses Cho, 2006;Choi and Ahn, 2008). Our results additionally suggest that hesperedin may have a beneficial role in promoting muscle cell differentiation and regeneration after muscle injury in vivo.…”

Negative Regulation of Adipogenesis by Kaempferol, a Component of <i>Rhizoma Polygonati falcatum</i> in 3T3-L1 Cells

“…Natural flavonoids, found in various plants and herbal medicines, up-or down-regulate differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and gene expression involved in adipogenesis. [24][25][26][27][28] In our study, we found that the flavonoid kaempferol is potent in repressing both lipid accumulation and expression of adipogenic markers. Kaempferol is found in many medical plants, such as Gingko biloba (Gb), Pinus densiflora SIEB.…”