In many cases, obesity is associated with metabolic disorders. Recently, natural
compounds that may be beneficial for improving obesity have received increasing
attention. Bitter melon has received attention as a diabetes treatment.
NAD
+
-dependent deacetylase (Sirtuin 1, SIRT1) has emerged as a
novel therapeutic target for metabolic diseases. In this study, ethanol extract
of bitter melon (BME) suppressed adipocyte differentiation and significantly
increased the expression of SIRT1 in fully differentiated 3T3-L1 cells.
Moreover, it enhanced the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). In
high-fat diet (HFD)-fed induced-obesity mice, BME suppressed HFD-induced
increases in body weight and white adipose tissue (WAT) weight. BME also
increased the expression of SIRT1 and suppressed peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptor and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1
expressions of WAT from HFD-fed mice. These findings suggest that BME prevents
obesity by activating the SIRT1 and AMPK pathway and that it may be a useful
dietary supplement for preventing obesity.
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