Anti-adipogenic activity of berberine is not mediated by the WNT/β-catenin pathway

Adipogenesis is a differentiation process from preadipocytes to adipocytes, accompanied by the inductions of adipogenic transcription factors and lipid metabolizing enzymes. Among cellular pathways regulating adipogenesis, the WNT/β-catenin pathway is well-known as a suppressor of adipogenesis. Berberine (BBR) is an isoquinoline alkaloid component of the medicinal plants including Coptis chinensis and Coptis japonica with diverse biological activities. This study was conducted to elucidate whether the anti-adipogenic effect of BBR is mediated by the WNT/β-catenin pathway. The results of the present study confirmed that BBR efficiently inhibited adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells. However, the anti-adipogenic effects of BBR were not accompanied by the modulations of the WNT/β-catenin pathway members including WNT10B, LRP6, DVL2, GSK3β and β-catenin. When β-catenin was knocked down by its siRNA transfection, the anti-adipogenic effects of BBR including the expression of adipogenic transcription factors and lipid metabolizing enzymes as well as the intracellular fat accumulation were not affected at all. The results of this study showed that the anti-adipogenic effect of BBR is not mediated by the WNT/β-catenin pathway.