Anti-adipogenic Pregnane Steroid from a Hydractinia-associated Fungus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum SW67

A pregnane steroid, 3α-hydroxy-pregn-7-ene-6,20-dione (1), was isolated from a Hydractinia-associated Cladosporium sphaerospermum SW67 by repetitive column chromatographic separation and highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purification. The planar structure of 1 was elucidated from the analysis of the spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR spectra) and LC-MS data. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by interpretation of ROESY spectrum of 1, together with the comparison of reported spectroscopic values in previous studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the identification of the pregnane scaffold from C. sphaerospermum, a natural source. Compound 1 was evaluated for its effects on lipid metabolism and adipogenesis during adipocyte maturation and showed that compound 1 substantially inhibited lipid accumulation compared to the control. Consistently, the expression of the adipocyte marker gene (Adipsin) was reduced upon incubation with 1. Further, we evaluated the effects of 1 on lipid metabolism by measuring the transcription of lipolytic and lipogenic genes. The expression of the lipolytic gene ATGL was significantly elevated upon exposure to 1 during adipogenesis, whereas the expression of lipogenic genes FASN and SREBP1 was significantly reduced upon treatment with 1. Thus, our findings provide experimental evidence that the steroid derived from Hydractinia-associated C. sphaerospermum SW67 is a potential therapeutic agent for obesity.

Recent technological updates and clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were first described in 2006 and have since emerged as a promising cell source for clinical applications. The rapid progression in iPSC technology is still ongoing and directed toward increasing the efficacy of iPSC production and reducing the immunogenic and tumorigenic potential of these cells. Enormous efforts have been made to apply iPSC-based technology in the clinic, for drug screening approaches and cell replacement therapy. Moreover, disease modeling using patient-specific iPSCs continues to expand our knowledge regarding the pathophysiology and prospective treatment of rare disorders. Furthermore, autologous stem cell therapy with patient-specific iPSCs shows great propensity for the minimization of immune reactions and the provision of a limitless supply of cells for transplantation. In this review, we discuss the recent updates in iPSC technology and the use of iPSCs in disease modeling and regenerative medicine.