Distinctive effects of licarin A on lipolysis mediated by PKA and on formation of brown adipocytes from C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells.

Obesity increases with the positive energy imbalance and correlates with increased risks for metabolic diseases. Promotion of white adipose tissue beiging has received considerable attention due to possible usefulness for preventing obesity and the comorbidities. Licarin A (LA) is a compound derived from Mexican medicinal plant Aristolochia taliscana. Here, we report that LA stimulates the development of brown-like and beige-like adipocytes from C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells with phenotypic shifts to formation of smaller lipid droplets. LA also markedly induced the expression of proteins characteristic of brown-like adipocytes in C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells. LA induced uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) and expression of other thermogenic genes in C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells via a mechanism involving protein kinase A (PKA). LA treatment also inhibited expression of white-adipocyte-specific genes. Moreover, LA treatment promoted lipolysis via PKA mediated pathway. Our findings inaugurate a new role of LA as an inducer of brown-like adipocytes formation with lipolytic properties, which in future might be studied in vivo as a potential anti-obesity agent.