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.
Keywords: AMPK; Atractylodes chinensis; SIRT1; fatty acid oxidation; lipogenesis.