Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a natural amino acid with antioxidant activity and is often considered to have therapeutic potential against obesity. Obesity has long been linked to ROS and ER stress, but the effect of GABA on the ROS-associated ER stress axis has not been thoroughly explored. Thus, in this study, the effect of GABA and fermented Curcuma longa L. extract enriched with GABA (FCLL-GABA) on the ROS-related ER stress axis and inositol-requiring transmembrane kinase/endoribonuclease 1α (IRE1α) sulfonation were examined with the HFD model to determine the underlying anti-obesity mechanism. Here, GABA and FCLL-GABA supplementations significantly inhibited the weight gain in HFD fed mice. The GABA and FCLL-GABA supplementation lowered the expressions of adipogenic transcription factors such as PPAR-γ, C/EBPα, FAS, and SREBP-1c in white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver from HFD-fed mice. The enhanced hyper-nutrient dysmetabolism-based NADPH oxidase (Nox) 4 and the resultant IRE1α sulfonation-RIDD-SIRT1 decay under HFD conditions were controlled with GABA and FCLL-GABA. Notably, GABA and FCLL-GABA administration significantly increased AMPK and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) levels in WAT of HFD-fed mice. These significant observations indicate that ER-localized Nox4-induced IRE1α sulfonation results in the decay of SIRT1 as a novel mechanism behind the positive implications of GABA on obesity. Moreover, the investigation lays a firm foundation for the development of FCLL-GABA as a functional ingredient.
Keywords: IRE1α; NADPH oxidase; SIRT1; decay; obesity.