Transcriptional Networks in Adipogenic and Thermogenic Programming

The efforts to prevent or reduce obesity, which is a serious health problem also associated with numerous diseases, include the use of natural substances to promote the change from white adipocytes toward a brown type. Brown adipose tissue is of interest because it can dissipate energy in the form of heat and regulate triglyceride and glucose metabolism through expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). High-throughput RNA sequencing was used to investigate transcriptomic changes and to identify key patterns involved in adipogenesis and browning during the development of Simpson-Golabi Behmel Syndrome (SGBS) human cells, which gradually acquire browning function and were used for following study. Allicin, a bioactive component of garlic, was used to study its possible browning effect in human SGBS cells after six days of differentiation in terms of lipid droplet and mitochondrial dynamics, and transcriptomic changes. Allicin promoted the reduction of the size and surface area of lipid droplets, leading to the development of multilocular adipocytes, and a shift in mitochondrial dynamic toward fission. Increased expression of genes related to beige adipocytes, was observed. In addition, allicin was also tested on mouse iWAT cells and the expression of UCP1 was stimulated. The results discussed support the modulatory role of allicin in stimulating the brown phenotype of SGBS cells, which is associated with adynamic modulation of mitochondria and lipid droplets.