%0 Journal Article
%T Cordycepin promotes browning of white adipose tissue through an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent pathway
%A Chongming Wu
%A Guihong Qi
%A Jiaqi Yu
%A Xiaopo Zhang
%A Xiaoxue Cao
%A Xin Li
%A Yue Zhou
%J Archive of "Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica. B".
%D 2019
%R 10.1016/j.apsb.2018.10.004
%X Obesity is a worldwide epidemic. Promoting browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) contributes to increased energy expenditure and hence counteracts obesity. Here we show that cordycepin (Cpn), a natural derivative of adenosine, increases energy expenditure, inhibits weight gain, improves metabolic profile and glucose tolerance, decreases WAT mass and adipocyte size, and enhances cold tolerance in normal and high-fat diet-fed mice. Cpn markedly increases the surface temperature around the inguinal WAT and turns the inguinal fat browner. Further investigations show that Cpn induces the development of brown-like adipocytes in inguinal and, to a less degree, epididymal WAT depots. Cpn also increases the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and other thermogenic genes in WAT and 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes, in which AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays an important role. Our results provide novel insights into the function of Cpn in regulating energy balance, and suggest a potential utility of Cpn in the treatment of obesity
%K Cordycepin
%K Browning of white adipose tissue (WAT)
%K Thermogenesis
%K AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)
%K Obesity
%U https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6361849/