Ginsenoside Rg3, one of the major components in Panax ginseng, has been reported to possess several therapeutic effects including anti-obesity properties. However, its effect on the browning of mature white adipocytes as well as the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, we suggested a novel role of Rg3 in the browning of mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes by upregulating browning-related gene expression. The browning effects of Rg3 on differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were evaluated by analyzing browning-related markers using quantitative PCR, immunoblotting, and immunostaining. In addition, the size and sum area of lipid droplets in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were measured using Oil-Red-O staining. In mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes, Rg3 dose-dependently induced the expression of browning-related genes such as Ucp1, Prdm16, Pgc1α, Cidea, and Dio2. Moreover, Rg3 induced the expression of beige fat-specific genes (CD137 and TMEM26) and lipid metabolism-associated genes (FASN, SREBP1, and MCAD), which indicated the activation of lipid metabolism by Rg3. We also demonstrated that activation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is required for Rg3-mediated up-regulation of browning gene expression. Moreover, Rg3 inhibited the accumulation of lipid droplets and reduced the droplet size in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Taken together, this study identifies a novel role of Rg3 in browning of white adipocytes, as well as suggesting a potential mechanism of an anti-obesity effect of Panax ginseng.
Keywords: AMPK; Rg3; anti-obesity; beige adipocytes; browning effect; ginsenoside.