The powerful potential of amino acid menthyl esters for anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity therapies.
Immunology
; 173(1): 76-92, 2024 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38720202
ABSTRACT
Our newly developed menthyl esters of valine and isoleucine exhibit anti-inflammatory properties beyond those of the well-known menthol in macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and in a mouse model of colitis induced by sodium dextran sulfate. Unlike menthol, which acts primarily through the cold-sensitive TRPM8 channel, these menthyl esters displayed unique mechanisms that operate independently of this receptor. They readily penetrated target cells and efficiently suppressed LPS-stimulated tumour necrosis factor-alpha (Tnf) expression mediated by liver X receptor (LXR), a key nuclear receptor that regulates intracellular cholesterol and lipid balance. The menthyl esters showed affinity for LXR and enhanced the transcriptional activity through their non-competitive and potentially synergistic agonistic effect. This effect can be attributed to the crucial involvement of SCD1, an enzyme regulated by LXR, which is central to lipid metabolism and plays a key role in the anti-inflammatory response. In addition, we discovered that the menthyl esters showed remarkable efficacy in suppressing adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes at the mitotic clonal expansion stage in an LXR-independent manner as well as in mice subjected to diet-induced obesity. These multiple capabilities of our compounds establish them as formidable allies in the fight against inflammation and obesity, paving the way for a range of potential therapeutic applications.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Anti-Obesity Agents
/
Liver X Receptors
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents
/
Obesity
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Immunology
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Japan
Country of publication:
United kingdom