Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 24, 2025

Investigation of Macrophage Polarization Using Bone Marrow Derived Macrophages
10:07

Investigation of Macrophage Polarization Using Bone Marrow Derived Macrophages

Published on: June 23, 2013

67.3K

Oleanolic Acid Improves Obesity-Related Inflammation and Insulin Resistance by Regulating Macrophages Activation

Wanqing Li1, Hongxiang Zeng1, Min Xu1

  • 1Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Frontiers in Pharmacology
|August 16, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Oleanolic acid (OA) combats obesity-related inflammation by improving insulin resistance and reducing macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue. It achieves this by modulating mitochondrial function and suppressing key inflammatory pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Metabolic disorders
  • Obesity and inflammation
  • Adipose tissue biology

Background:

  • Chronic low-grade adipose tissue inflammation, driven by adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs), links obesity to metabolic disorders.
  • Oleanolic acid (OA), a natural triterpenoid, shows anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory potential, but its precise mechanisms remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the detailed mechanisms by which Oleanolic acid (OA) mitigates adipose tissue inflammation in diet-induced obese mice.

Main Methods:

  • Obese C57BL/6J mice (12-week high-fat diet) were treated with Oleanolic acid (25 and 50 mg/kg) or vehicle for 4 weeks.
  • Evaluated insulin resistance, adipose tissue hypertrophy, ATM infiltration, M1/M2 macrophage polarization, pro-inflammatory markers, MAPK signaling, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
  • Assessed the impact of OA on mitochondrial function, including voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in adipose tissue and RAW264.7 macrophages.

Main Results:

  • Oleanolic acid treatment significantly improved insulin resistance, reduced adipose tissue hypertrophy, and decreased ATM infiltration and the M1/M2 ratio in obese mice.
  • OA administration markedly down-regulated pro-inflammatory markers in both adipose tissue and lipopolysaccharide/interferon-gamma-stimulated macrophages.
  • OA suppressed MAPK signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome activation by reducing VDAC expression and ROS production, indicating improved mitochondrial function.

Conclusions:

  • Oleanolic acid effectively ameliorates adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity.
  • OA exerts its beneficial effects by targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and modulating macrophage activation pathways.
  • This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying OA's anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties.
Keywords:
ROSinflammationmacrophagesobesityoleanolic acid

More Related Videos

Isolation, Characterization, and Purification of Macrophages from Tissues Affected by Obesity-related Inflammation07:46

Isolation, Characterization, and Purification of Macrophages from Tissues Affected by Obesity-related Inflammation

Published on: April 3, 2017

25.5K
Isolation of Adipose Tissue Immune Cells07:09

Isolation of Adipose Tissue Immune Cells

Published on: May 22, 2013

36.6K

Related Concept Videos

Inflammation01:38

Inflammation

Overview
56.5K
Atherosclerosis III: Management01:26

Atherosclerosis III: Management

Management of atherosclerosis involves an integrated strategy encompassing pharmacological treatment, surgical interventions, lifestyle changes, and nutrition therapy to address the multifactorial nature of the disease.Pharmacological TherapyA cornerstone of atherosclerosis management is the use of pharmacological agents. Statins, such as atorvastatin, are pivotal in inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme that catalyzes an initial step in cholesterol synthesis in the liver. This reduction in...
75
Obesity01:24

Obesity

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in...
772
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents: α-Glucosidase Inhibitors01:19

Oral Hypoglycemic Agents: α-Glucosidase Inhibitors

α-glucosidase inhibitors, including acarbose (Precose), miglitol (Glyset), and voglibose (Voglib) (primarily available in Asia), are drugs that control blood sugar levels by delaying the digestion of starch and disaccharides. They achieve this by inhibiting α-glucosidase enzymes in the intestine, which slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the intestine, which in turn leads to a prolonged release of the glucoregulatory hormone GLP-1 from intestinal L-cells.
Acarbose and miglitol are...
328
Regulation of Food Intake01:30

Regulation of Food Intake

Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
1.0K