Effects of Bitter Melon Saponin on the Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in HepG2 Cell and C. elegans

Abstract

This study tried to explore how saponins from bitter melon (BMS) affect the glucose and lipid metabolism in palmitic acid-treated HepG2 cell and glucose-treated Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Results showed that BMS could effectively accelerate glucose consumption and elevate the levels of glycogen and ATP in palmitic acid-treated HepG2 cell, while significantly decreasing the triglyceride (TG) content. qRT-PCR data indicated that BMS might promote fatty acid β-oxidation by AMPK-ACC2-CPT1 pathway and glucose uptake by upregulating GLUT4 expression. In the model of glucose-treated C. elegans, we observed that BMS obviously inhibited fat accumulation, along with no toxicity towards some physical activities. The potential mechanism of BMS in the metabolism involved the suppression of synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids and enhancement of fatty acid β-oxidation. Taken together, BMS exhibited ability of regulating energy metabolism in HepG2 cell line and C. elegans.