Extract of Induces Browning of Mouse and Human White Adipocytes.

Browning of adipocytes using herbal extracts is an attractive and realistic strategy for obesity treatment. () is an Asian traditional medicine known to activate brown adipocytes. To evaluate the effect of (EEs) on the browning of white adipocytes, expression levels of browning markers, including uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), were determined using qPCR, Western blot, and immunocytochemistry after mature mouse inguinal preadipocyte (mIPA) and human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) were treated with EEs. In addition, mitochondrial activity was determined by analyzing MitoTracker staining, mtDNA copy number, and oxygen consumption rate (OCR). Treatment with EEs suppressed lipid accumulation and expression levels of adipogenic markers, including , during mIPA differentiation. In mature mIPA and hADSCs browning markers, including , were up-regulated by EEs. In addition, EEs increased expression of mitochondrial genes, mtDNA copy number, and OCR. EEs showed a dual function: inhibiting adipogenesis in immature preadipocytes, and promoting thermogenesis via browning in mature white adipocytes. Therefore, is a potential herb for regulating energy metabolism by inducing the browning process.