Anti-adipogenic and lipid-lowering activity of piperine and epigallocatechin gallate in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

The present study was aimed to evaluate the anti-adipogenic activity of piperine (PIP) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in 3T3-L1 cells. In cytotoxicity studies, PIP and EGCG showed IC50 values of 260 and 218 mu M respectively and in combination (20 mu M each) did not show cytotoxicity. Treatment with PIP and EGCG (20 mu M each) significantly (p<.01) inhibited cell differentiation, lipid droplets deposition and enhanced glycerol release in 3T3-L1 cells. The secreted level of leptin was decreased but adiponectin level was increased in treated 3T3-L1 cells than untreated cells. In molecular expression studies, key adipogenic genes PPAR-gamma, SREBP-1c, FAS, Fab-4, C/EBP-alpha and HMG-CoA reductase were markedly down-regulated but UCP-1 was up-regulated in treated 3T3-L1 cells and the same trend was observed in expression levels of selected proteins. In conclusion, our results demonstrated a combination of PIP and EGCG exhibited strong anti-adipogenic and lipid lowering effect than individual treatments due to synergism.

Automated summary

The present study evaluated the anti-adipogenic activity of piperine and epigallocatechin gallate in 3T3-L1 cells. The combination treatment showed stronger inhibitory effects on cell differentiation and lipid levels compared to individual treatments.