Quercetin, a functional compound of onion peel, remodels white adipocytes to brown-like adipocytes

Adipocyte browning is a promising strategy for obesity prevention. Using onion peel-derived extracts and their bioactive compounds, we demonstrate that the onion peel, a by-product of the onion, can change the characteristics of white adipocytes to those of brown-like adipocytes in the white adipose tissue of mice and in 3 T3-L1 cells. The expression of the following brown adipose tissue-specific genes was increased in the retroperitoneal and subcutaneous adipose tissues of 0.5% onion peel extract-fed mice: PR domain-containing 16, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 α, uncoupling protein 1, fibroblast growth factor 21, and cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector.

Source: The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry - January 13, 2017 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Sang Gil Lee, John S. Parks, Hye Won Kang Source Type: research