45A. Exploring the Effects of Forskolin in Promoting Brown Adipogenesis

Lead Presenter(s)

Caleb Conatser

Abstract or Description

Introduction: Obesity is one of the biggest health issues globally and in the US, and it leads to many other health problems, like type 2 diabetes. The hallmark of obesity is excess amounts of white adipose tissue, which is responsible for energy storage. In contrast, brown adipose tissue has thermogenic effects that contribute to energy expenditure and benefit weight loss. This project aims to test the effects of forskolin, a plant extract, on brown adipocyte formation.

Methods: Murine brown pre-adipocytes were induced to differentiate in the presence of varying concentrations of forskolin (1, 5, and 10 micromolar) along with the vehicle control DMSO and the positive control rosiglitazone for 6 days. Differentiation was determined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of the mRNA expression of brown markers UCP1 and PGC1 alpha. The toxicity of forskolin was also measured using standard MTT tests. 

Results: Forskolin significantly promotes brown adipocyte differentiation or adipogenesis, as shown by increased brown marker gene expression and lipid accumulation. In addition, forskolin showed minimal toxicity in a dose-independent manner on the murine pre-adipocytes. 

Conclusion: Our results suggest that forskolin may promote brown adipogenesis. Further studies of forskolin on the metabolic effects in vivo and in human cells are warranted.

Mentor

Ling Zhao