This study aimed to examine the mechanisms underlying the effects of Garcinia cambogia extract on the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells and long-chain saturated fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity of HepG2 cells. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, mouse embryonic fibroblast-adipose like cell line, were treated with MDI solution (0.5 mM IBMX, 1 µM dexamethasone, 10 µg/mL insulin) to generate a cellular model of adipocyte differentiation. Using this cellular model, the anti-obesity effect of Garcinia cambogia extract was evaluated. MDI-induced lipid accumulation and expression of adipogenesis-related genes were detected by Oil red O staining, Nile Red staining, and Western blot analysis. Effects Garcinia cambogia extract on palmitate-induced lipotoxicity was also analyzed by MTT assay, LDH release, and DAPI staining in HepG2 cells. Garcinia cambogia extract significantly suppressed the adipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes and intracellular lipid accumulation in the differentiating adipocytes. Garcinia cambogia extract also markedly inhibited the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2), CCAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), and adipocyte protein aP2 (aP2). In addition, Garcinia cambogia extract significantly attenuated palmitate-induced lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells. Palmitateinduced cellular damage and reactive aldehydes were also significantly reduced in the presence of Garcinia cambogia extract. These findings suggest that the Garcinia cambogia extract inhibits the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, probably by regulating the expression of multiple genes associated with adipogenesis such as PPARγ2, C/EBPα, aP2, and thereby modulating fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity to reduce cellular injury in hepatocytes.

Obesity, the leading metabolic disease, is a prevalent health problem in industrialized countries and is closely associated with coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and even cancer. In this study, we investigated the effects of dip-sauce for meat containing Garcinia cambogia extract (GC) on the lipid accumulation and body weight reduction in rats fed highfat diet for three months. Eighteen Sprague Dawley male rats of five-week-old were randomly assigned to one of three groups; normal chew diet (NCD) group, high-fat diet plus GC-noncontaining dip-sauce (HFD) group, and HFD plus GCcontaining dip-sauce (HFD+GC) group. Co-administration of GC-containing dip-sauce (5 g/kg body weight/day) with HFD significantly attenuated cumulative body weight gain, compared with NCD or HFD groups. Both epididymal and perirenal fat pad weights in the HFD plus GC group were significantly lower than those of HFD or NCD groups. Administration of GC-containing dip-sauce also resulted in significant reduction in the serum levels of total cholesterol, total lipid, and triglyceride, compared with NCD or HFD groups. Thus, GC-containing dip-sauce confers beneficial effects to pathological states associated with metabolic disorder via its anti-obesity and lipid lowering properties.