Source: Laboratory of Biofunctional Material Chemistry,
Division of Marine Bioscience, Japan
Date: July 1, 2005
Fucoxanthin from edible
seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, shows antiobesity effect through UCP1
expression in white adipose tissues
Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is usually expressed only in
brown adipose tissue (BAT) and a key molecule for metabolic
thermogenesis to avoid an excess of fat accumulation. However, there is
little BAT in adult humans. Therefore, UCP1 expression in tissues other
than BAT is expected to reduce abdominal fat. Here, we show reduction
of abdominal white adipose tissue (WAT) weights in rats and mice by
feeding lipids from edible seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida. Clear signals
of UCP1 protein and mRNA were detected in WAT of mice fed the Undaria
lipids, although there is little expression of UCP1 in WAT of mice fed
control diet. The Undaria lipids mainly consisted of glycolipids and
seaweed carotenoid, fucoxanthin. In the fucoxanthin-fed mice, WAT
weight significantly decreased and UCP1 was clearly expressed in the
WAT, while there was no difference in WAT weight and little expression
of UCP1 in the glycolipids-fed mice. This result indicates that
fucoxanthin upregulates the expression of UCP1 in WAT, which may
contribute to reducing WAT weight.
References:
Biochem
Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Jul 1;
332(
2):
392-7.
