Pentamethylquercetin reduces fat deposition via Sirt1-mediated pathways in male obese mice induced by a high fat diet

Pentamethylquercetin (PMQ) is a natural quercetin derivative found in a variety of edible herb. Although PMQ has potential as anti-diabetic agent, there have been no reports on its anti-adipogenic effects in the obese animals. This study investigated whether PMQ attenuates high-fat diet (HFD)-induced adipogenesis in the epididymal fat tissues of mice and explored its underlying mechanisms. In comparison with HFD-fed mice, mice fed with PMQ showed significantly lower body weight gain, adipose tissue mass, and plasma levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose, but higher plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. PMQ significantly reversed the HFD-induced regulation of Sirt1/mTOR signaling genes (Sirt1, mTOR , 4EBP1, and S6K1), and key adipogenic genes (PPARγ, SREBP1, FAS, ATGL, HSL, and Perilipin) in the epididymal adipose tissues of obese mice. However, nicotinamide appeared to partly inhibit PMQ-mediated anti-adipogenic effects involved in this attenuation. These results suggested that PMQ inhibited visceral adipogenesis by suppressing the Sirt1-mediated mTOR and adipogenesis signaling cascades. It might be a potential candidate for the treatment of obesity.