LAUSR

BACKGROUND Promoting brown and beige adipogenesis contributes to adaptive thermogenesis, which provides a defense against obesity and related disorders. Apple polyphenols (APs) play a significant role in treating variety of metabolic diseases. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of APs on the development of brown and beige adipocytes and thermogenesis and investigate whether these effects are mediated by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). High-fat diet (HFD) induced obese mice and differentiated 3 T3-L1 adipocytes were subjected to APs treatment. The thermogenic program and associated regulatory factors, and the involvement of AMPKα was assessed. RESULTS Dietary APs supplementation reduced adiposity and improved insulin sensitivity in HFD induced obese mice. Moreover, APs increased the oxygen consumption and heat production and decreased respiratory exchange ratio, which were accompanied by the upregulation of thermogenic genes expression and the activation of AMPKα in brown fat and inguinal white fat. Further, APs treatment directly increased expression of brown adipogenic markers and induced phosphorylation of AMPKα in differentiated 3 T3-L1 adipocytes, whereas the beneficial effects of APs were reversed by AMPK inhibition. CONCLUSION Our results provide new insights into the function of APs in regulating brown/beige adipogenesis and adaptive thermogenesis and suggest the potential application of APs in the prevention and therapeutic of obesity and associated metabolic diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.