Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 18, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
MDPI AG
DOI: 10.3390/ijms18030518
Keywords
Tenebrio molitor larvae; diet-induced obesity; 3T3-L1; adipogenesis; hepatic steatosis
Funding
- High Value-added Food Technology Development Program, Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Korea [315060-3]
- Institute of Planning & Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (iPET), Republic of Korea [315060033SB010] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
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Despite the increasing interest in insect-based bioactive products, the biological activities of these products are rarely studied adequately. Larvae of Tenebrio molitor, the yellow mealworm, have been eaten as a traditional food and provide many health benefits. Therefore, we hypothesized that T. molitor larvae might influence adipogenesis and obesity-related disorders. In the present study, we investigated the anti-adipogenic and antiobesity effects of T. molitor larvae in vitro and in vivo. The lipid accumulation and triglyceride content in mature adipocytes was reduced significantly (up to 90%) upon exposure to an ethanol extract of T. molitor larvae, without a reduction in cell viability. Exposure also resulted in key adipogenic and lipogenic transcription factors. Additionally, in adipogenic differentiation medium the extract induced phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinases. Daily oral administration of T. molitor larvae powder to obese mice fed high-fat diet attenuated body weight gain. We also found that the powder efficiently reduced hepatic steatosis as well as aspartate and alanine transaminase enzyme levels in mice fed a high-fat diet. Our results suggest that T. molitor larvae extract has an antiobesity effect when administered as a food supplement and has potential as a therapeutic agent for obesity.
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