Hete pepers tegen overgewicht.*

Uit Taiwanese laboratoriumonderzoek blijkt dat de stof capsaïcine de groei van vetcellen duidelijk doet verminderen. Capsaïcine wordt vooral gevonden in chili en cayenne pepers. Eerder onderzoek heeft al aangetoond dat capsaïcine de hoeveelheid vetweefsel en bloedwaarden aan vet doet verminderen. Uit deze laboratoriumstudie blijkt dat capsaïcine een biochemische signaal afgeeft waardoor in het beginstadium van een vetcel deze cel zichzelf vernietigt. De hoeveelheid capsaïcine die daarvoor nodig is is niet veel meer dan de hoeveelheid die een mens binnenkrijgt bij het eten van bijv. een Thaise maaltijd.

Red Pepper: Hot Stuff For Fighting Fat?

Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin - the natural compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick - can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
In the report, Gow-Chin Yen and Chin-Lin Hsu cite previous research suggesting that obesity can be reduced by preventing immature fat cells (adipocytes) from developing into mature cells. Past research also linked capsaicin to a decrease in the amount of fat tissue and decreased blood-fat levels. With that knowledge, the researchers tested capsaicin's effects on pre-adipocytes and adipocytes growing in laboratory cultures.
They found that capsaicin prevented pre-adipocytes from filling with fat and becoming full-fledged fat cells. The effects occurred at levels just slightly greater than those found in the stomach fluid of an individual eating a typical Indian or Thai diet, the researchers noted. Capsaicin worked by providing a biochemical signal that made fat cells undergo apoptosis, a mechanism in which cells self-destruct.
ARTICLE #4
"Effects of Capsaicin on Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Cells"
CONTACT:
Gow-Chin Yen, Ph.D.
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Effects of Capsaicin on Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Cells

Chin-Lin Hsu and Gow-Chin Yen*

Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuokuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan

This research work was partially supported by the Department of Health, Taiwan, ROC, under Grant DOH95-TD-F-113-002.

Abstract:

Currently, at the beginning of the 21st century, obesity has become the leading metabolic disease in the world. It is a serious health problem in industrialized countries. Previous research has suggested that decreased preadipocyte differentiation and proliferation and decreased lipogenesis are mechanisms to reduce obesity. In the present study, the effects of capsaicin on the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and adipocytes were investigated. The results demonstrated that capsaicin decreased cell population growth of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, assessed with the MTT assay. Flow cytometric analysis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes exposed to capsaicin showed that apoptotic cells increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Treatment with capsaicin decreased the number of normal cells and increased the number of early apoptotic and late apoptotic cells in a dose-dependent manner. The treatment of cells with capsaicin caused the loss of mitochondria membrane potential. The induction of apoptosis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by capsaicin was mediated through the activation of caspase-3, Bax, and Bak, and then through the cleavage of PARP and the down-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, capsaicin significantly decreased the amount of intracellular triglycerides and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Capsaicin also inhibited the expression of PPAR, C/EBP, and leptin, but induced up-regulation of adiponectin at the protein level. These results demonstrate that capsaicin efficiently induces apoptosis and inhibits adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and adipocytes. (Maart 2007) (Opm Meer over capsaïcine)

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