Gelidium amansii ethanol extract suppresses fat accumulation by down-regulating adipogenic transcription factors in...

The purpose of this study was to determine the anti-obesity effects of Gelidium amansii extract (GAE) in the C57BL/6J-ob/ob mice. The ob/ob mice were fed GAE at 0.5% for 4 weeks, after which body weight, epididymal adipose tissue weight, plasma triglycerides, and hepatic lipid accumulation were significantly reduced in GAE-fed mice compared with ob/ob control mice. Plasma adiponectin levels were significantly higher in GAE-fed mice than in ob/ob control mice. These findings were supported by the expression levels of enzymes and proteins related to lipid metabolism assessed by western blotting: protein expression levels of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and CCATT/enhancer binding protein α decreased significantly, while hormone-sensitive lipase and phospho-AMP-activated protein kinase levels increased in the GAE-fed mice compared with ob/ob control mice. These findings demonstrate that GAE regulates plasma lipid profiles and increasing highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol levels as well as by regulating the expression levels of lipid metabolic factors, resulting in reduced weight gain in ob/ob mice.