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Echinacea purpurea root extract enhances the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells

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Abstract

Echinacea purpurea has been shown to have anti-diabetic activities; for example, it activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and increases insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Adipogenesis has been used to study the insulin signaling pathway and to screen anti-diabetic compounds. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of an ethanol extract of E. purpurea (EEEP) and its constituents on the insulin-induced adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. When adipocyte differentiation was induced with insulin plus 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and dexamethasone, the accumulation of lipid droplets and the cellular triglyceride content were significantly increased by EEEP. The expressions of PPARγ and C/EBPα in adipocytes treated with EEEP were gradually increased as compared with control cells. Fat accumulation and triglyceride content of adipocytes treated with dodeca-2(E),4(E)-dienoic acid isobutylamide were significantly increased as compared with control cells. The expressions of PPARγ and C/EBPα in adipocytes treated with dodeca-2(E),4(E)-dienoic acid isobutylamide were significantly higher than in control cells. These results suggest EEEP promotes the adipogenesis that is partially induced by insulin and that dodeca-2(E),4(E)-dienoic acid isobutylamide appears to be responsible for EEEP-enhanced adipocyte differentiation.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2011-0013320), the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (MRC, 2010-0029480), the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, 1415126993) through the fostering project of Osong Academy-Indudtry Convergence (BAIO), and the “Leaders INdustry-university Cooperation” Project funded by the Ministry of Education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Pharmacy and Center for Innovative Cancer Therapeutics, Chungbuk National University, 52 Naesudong-ro, Heungduk-gu, Cheongju, 361-763, Republic of Korea

    Dong-Mi Shin, Kyeong-Mi Choi, Youn-Sun Lee, Wonkyun Kim, Kyong-Oh Shin, Mi Kyeong Lee, Yong-Moon Lee, Jin Tae Hong, Yeo-Pyo Yun & Hwan-Soo Yoo

  2. Department of Neuroscience and Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Seikwan Oh

  3. Rexgene Biotech Co., Ltd, Ochang, Republic of Korea

    Jae-Chul Jung

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  1. Dong-Mi Shin
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Correspondence to Hwan-Soo Yoo.

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Dong-Mi Shin and Kyeong-Mi Choi contributed equally to this study.

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Shin, DM., Choi, KM., Lee, YS. et al. Echinacea purpurea root extract enhances the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. Arch. Pharm. Res. 37, 803–812 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-013-0251-y

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