Red ginseng and its extracts have been used as traditional medicines and functional foods in countries worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine the bioavailability of
pectin lyase-modified red ginseng extracts (GS-E3D), and the effects of
GS-E3D on adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes, as well as on metabolic disorders such as
hyperglycemia,
dyslipidemia, and
fatty liver in high-fat diet fed obese C57BL/6 mice. Mice were divided into 5 groups: normal diet group, high fat diet-vehicle group, high fat diet + 0.1 g/kg
GS-E3D (0.1-GS-E3D), high fat diet + 0.3 g/kg (0.3-GS-E3D), high fat diet + 1.0 g/kg (1.0-GS-E3D). Treatment of
GS-E3D reduced differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with low cytotoxicity. In the animal model, compared to the high fat diet control, serum
glucose, total
cholesterol, LDL-
cholesterol, HDL-
cholesterol, TG, and
leptin level were reduced in treatment animals in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we found that
GS-E3D could decrease total hepatic lipid droplets. These results suggest that
GS-E3D, as a dietary supplement, has beneficial effects on
obesity and may have useful effects in health-care products.