Aralia elata Seem. is distributed widely in Korea, China, and Japan, and its sprouts (dureupsoon) are a popular edible vegetable in spring. This study evaluated the anti-obesity activity of the hot-water extract (ASE) of Aralia elata sprout in 3T3-L1 cells and its underlying mechanism. ASE did not affect the 3T3-L1 cell viability at 100, 200, and 400 μg/mL. The ASE treatment inhibited adipocytes differentiation significantly in a dose-dependent manner, and it dose-independently reduced the intracellular triglyceride levels. ASE down-regulated adipogenic gene (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) and lipogenic gene (sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2) significantly compared to the vehicle control. These results suggest that ASE could be a promising functional material for anti-obesity.

Keywords: 3T3-L1, Aralia elata sprout, adipogenesis, dureupsoon, lipogenesis