Identification of an adipose tissue-resident pro-preadipocyte population

Elucidating the transitional stages that define the pathway stem cells progress through during differentiation advances our understanding of biology and fosters the identification of therapeutic opportunities. However, distinguishing progenitor cells from other cell types and placing them in an epistatic pathway is challenging. This is exemplified in the adipocyte lineage, where the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from adipose tissue is enriched for progenitor cells but also contains heterogeneous populations of cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has begun to facilitate the deconvolution of cell types in the SVF, and a hierarchical structure is emerging. Here, we use scRNA-seq to discover a population of CD31- CD45- cells in the SVF that are distinguished by a specific expression profile. Further, we place this population on an epistatic pathway upstream of the previously defined preadipocyte population. Finally, we discover functional properties of this population with broad implications, including revealing physiological mechanisms that regulate adipogenesis.

Anti-Adipogenic Effects of Ethanol Extracts Prepared from Selected Medicinal Herbs in 3T3-L1 Cells

Obesity is a major risk factor for various metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, we prepared ethanol extracts from Agastache rugosa (ARE), Chrysanthemum zawadskii (CZE), Mentha arvensis (MAE), Perilla frutescens (PFE), Leonurus sibiricus (LSE), Gardenia jasminoides (GJE), and Lycopus coreanus (LCE). The anti-oxidant and anti-adipogenic effects were evaluated. The IC₅₀ values for ascorbic acid and LCE against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals were 246.2 μg/mL and 166.2 μg/mL, respectively, followed by ARE (186.6 μg/mL), CZE (198.6 μg/mL), MAE (337.1 μg/mL), PFE (415.3 μg/mL), LSE (548.2 μg/mL), and GJE (626.3 μg/mL). In non-toxic concentration ranges, CZE had a strong inhibitory effect against 3T3-L1 adipogenes (84.5%) than those of the other extracts. Furthermore, the anti-adipogenic effect of CZE is largely limited in the early stage of adipogenesis, and we revealed that the inhibitory role of CZE in adipogenesis is required for the activation of Wnt signaling. Our results provide scientific evidence that the anti-adipogenic effect of CZE can be applied as an ingredient for the development of functional foods and nutri-cosmetics for obesity prevention.