Abnormal lipid metabolism in adipose tissue is closely related to the occurrence and progression of a wide variety of
metabolic syndromes. We have analyzed the pharmacological effects of Chinese
herbal medicines on cell differentiation and lipid metabolism in adipocytes.
Yi-Gan-San (YGS) is a Chinese herbal medicine that is effective in treating the behavioral and psychological symptoms of
dementia; however, its physiological mechanism remains unclear. We analyzed the effects of YGS on
lipid accumulation in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Adipocyte differentiation was induced in mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by treatment with the mixture of
dexamethasone, 3-iso-butyl-1-methylxanthine, and
insulin, and cells were cultured for 8 days with Chinese
herbal medicines, including YGS. YGS effectively reduced the
lipid accumulation in the differentiated 3T3-L1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, but had no effect on cell viability. YGS also reduced the activity of
glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an
enzyme involved in
lipid synthesis. In contrast, YGS gave no noticeable effect on
glucose uptake and
fatty acid uptake in the differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, we established the stably transfected 3T3-L1 cell lines, each of which expresses the
luciferase reporter gene under the control of
sterol regulatory
element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) or FoxO1.
SREBP-1c is a
transcription factor involved in
fatty acid synthesis, and FoxO1 is a forkhead-type
transcription factor involved in adipocyte differentiation. Using these cell lines, we showed that YGS reduced the transcriptional activity of
SREBP-1c, whereas YGS increased the activity of FoxO1. Thus, YGS may suppress
lipid synthesis and fat accumulation in adipocytes through modulating the activities of
SREBP-1c and FoxO1.