Andrographolide and pterostilbene inhibit adipocyte differentiation by downregulating PPARγ through different regulators

Nat Prod Res. 2023 Aug-Sep;37(18):3145-3151. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2022.2144850. Epub 2022 Nov 14.

Abstract

Adipogenesis involves commitment of stem cells and their differentiation into mature adipocytes. It is tightly regulated by hormones, nutrients and adipokines. Many natural compounds are being tested for their anti-adipogenic activity which can be attributed to apoptosis induction in adipocytes, blocking adipocyte differentiation, or inhibiting intracellular triglyceride synthesis and accumulation. In this study, we have determined molecular mechanism of two phytocompounds: andrographolide (AN) and pterostilbene (PT) during differentiation of the human MSCs into adipocyte. Interestingly, AN upregulates miR27a, whereas, PT upregulated SIRT1 which inhibits the expression of PPARγ. Thus, our results clearly demonstrate that both AN and PT inhibited adipogenesis by blocking a surge of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during differentiation and inhibiting expression of crucial transcription factors like SREBP1c and PPARγ.

Keywords: Adipogenesis; PPARγ; ROS; andrographolide; pterostilbene.