ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While screening for an inhibitor of the peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase, Pin1, we came across a brown algae polyphenol that blocks the differentiation of fibroblasts into adipocytes. However, its effectiveness on the accumulation of fat in the body has never been studied. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Oral administration of brown algae polyphenol to mice fed with a high fat diet, suppressed the increase in fat volume to a level observed in mice fed with a normal diet. We speculate that Pin1 might be required for the differentiation of stem cell to adipocytes. We established wild type (WT) and Pin1-/- (Pin1-KO) adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ASC) lines and found that WT ASCs differentiate to adipocytes but Pin1-KO ASCs do not. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Oral administration of brown algae polyphenol, a Pin1 inhibitor, reduced fat buildup in mice. We showed that Pin1 is required for the differentiation of stem cells into adipocytes. We propose that oral intake of brown algae polyphenol is useful for the treatment of obesity.
Subject(s)
Adipocytes/drug effects , NIMA-Interacting Peptidylprolyl Isomerase/antagonists & inhibitors , Obesity/drug therapy , Peptidylprolyl Isomerase/antagonists & inhibitors , Phaeophyceae/chemistry , Polyphenols/pharmacology , Stem Cells/drug effects , Adiposity/drug effects , Animals , Cell Differentiation/drug effects , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Fibroblasts/drug effects , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BLABSTRACT
The peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase Pin1 enhances the uptake of triglycerides and the differentiation of fibroblasts into adipose cells in response to insulin stimulation. Pin1 downregulation could be a potential approach to prevent and treat obesity-related disorders. In order to identify an inhibitor of Pin1 that exhibited minimal cytotoxicity, we established a high-throughput screen for Pin1 inhibitors and used this method to identify an inhibitor from 1,056 crude fractions of two natural product libraries. The candidate, a phlorotannin called 974-B, was isolated from the seaweed, Ecklonia kurome. 974-B inhibited the differentiation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts and 3T3-L1 cells into adipose cells without inducing cytotoxicity. We discovered the Pin1 inhibitor, 974-B, from the seaweed, E. kurome, and showed that it blocks the differentiation of fibroblasts into adipose cells, suggesting that 974-B could be a lead drug candidate for obesity-related disorders.
