Anti-obesity effect of Amomum taso-ko ethanol extract in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Abstract

Amomum tsao-ko used as a traditional oriental herbal medicine, is indigenous to several Asia countries. In this study, we investigated anti-obesity activity of the ethanol extract of Amomum Taso-ko (A. tsao-ko). The ethanol extract of A. tsao-ko inhibited adipocyte differentiation using Oil Red O assay in 3T3-L1 cells. Inhibitory effect of the ethanol extract of A. tsao-ko on adipogenesis was modulated by down-regulation adipogenic transcriptional factor such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) and suppressed expression of fatty acid synthase, aP2, and resistin. We demonstrated that A. tsao-ko significantly inhibited adipogenesis and reduced PPARγ and C/EBPα expression in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that A. tsao-ko has an anti-obesity effect by inhibition of adipogenic transcription factor and adipocyte-specific genes in 3T3-L1 cells.