The effect of anthocyanins extracted from black soybean (Glycine max L.) seed coats on body weight, adipose tissue weight, and serum lipids was evaluated in rats fed a high fat diet (HFD). Rats were raised on a normal diet (ND) (based on the AIN-93M diet), HFD (ND supplemented with 16% lard oil), HFD containing 10% black soybean, and HFD containing 0.037% black soybean anthocyanins (equivalent to that in the 10% black soybean diet). Weight gain was significantly lowered in the rats fed HFD plus black soybean anthocyanins compared with the rats fed HFD alone (P < .05) and reversed to the level of the rats fed ND. The black soybean diet also decreased body weight gain compared with the HFD (P < .05). The black soybean anthocyanins-added diet suppressed the HFD-induced weight gain in liver intermediately and tended to decrease the weights of epididymal and perirenal fat pads. The black soybean anthocyanins were also effective in improving the lipid profile. They significantly reduced the levels of serum triglyceride and cholesterol (P < .05), while they markedly increased the high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentration, which was decreased in the rats fed HFD (P < .05). These results indicate that the anthocyanins in black soybean seed coats have an anti-obesity effect, which can reverse the effects of HFD on body weight, adipose tissue weight, and serum lipid contents.

Mice lacking CD81 (TAPA-1), a widely expressed tetraspanin molecule, have impaired antibody responses to protein antigens. This defect is specific to antigens that preferentially stimulate a T helper 2 response (ovalbumin or keyhole limpet hemocyanin in alum) and is only seen with T cell-dependent antigens. Absence of CD81 on B cells is sufficient to cause the defect. Also, antigen-specific interleukin (IL) 4 production is greatly reduced in the spleen and lymph nodes of CD81-null mice compared with heterozygous littermates. Thus, expression of CD81 on B cells is critical for inducing optimal IL-4 and antibody production during T helper 2 responses. These findings suggest that CD81 may interact with a ligand on T cells to signal IL-4 production. By using a soluble form of CD81 as a probe, a putative ligand for CD81 was identified on a subset of B and T cells. Two possible models for the interaction of CD81 on B cells with a potential ligand on either B or T cells are proposed.

ATP is co-localized with norepinephrine at the sympathetic nerve terminals and may be released simultaneously upon neuronal stimulation, which results in activation of purinergic receptors. To examine whether leptin synthesis and lipolysis are influenced by P2 purinergic receptor activation, the effects of ATP and other nucleotides on leptin secretion and glycerol release have been investigated in differentiated rat white adipocytes. Firstly, insulin-induced leptin secretion was inhibited by nucleotide treatment with the following efficacy order: 3-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl ATP (BzATP) > ATP > > UTP. Secondly, treatment of adipocytes with ATP increased both intracellular Ca 2؉ concentration and cAMP content. Intracellular calcium concentration was increased by ATP and UTP, but not BzATP, an effect attributed to phospholipase C-coupled P2Y 2 . On the other hand, cAMP was generated by treatment with BzATP and ATP␥S, but not UTP, indicating functional expression of adenylyl cyclase-coupled P2Y 11 receptors in white adipocytes. Thirdly, lipolysis was significantly activated by BzATP and ATP, which correlated with the characteristics of the P2Y 11 subtype. Taken together, the data presented here suggest that white adipocytes express at least two different types of P2Y receptors and that activation of P2Y 11 receptor might be involved in inhibition of leptin production and stimulation of lipolysis, suggesting that purinergic transmission can play an important role in white adipocyte physiology.Obesity results from a chronic disequilibrium between caloric intake and energy expenditure and is a major risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, and metabolic syndromes, including insulin-independent diabetes and dyslipidemia. Lipolysis is the hydrolysis of the ester bonds in triacylglycerol, which is composed of three fatty acids esterified to glycerol. Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)

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