# Anti-Obesity Effect of Fresh and Browned _Magnolia denudata_ Flowers in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes
###### Abstract  
The major components of magnolia flower extracts (MFEs) were classified into four substances, such as flavonoids, phenylethanolamine glycoside derivatives (PhGs), cafeoylquinic acids (CQAs), and others, in our previous study. The chemical components of MFEs, including the rutin of flavonoid, acetoside and isoacetoside of PhGs, and caffeoylquinic acids, are reported to have physiological effects on anti-obesity effects. The anti-obesity effect of fresh and browned _Magnolia denudata_ flower extracts (FMFE and BMFE, respectively) was investigated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The treatment concentrations of FMFE and BMFE were 200 and 400 \(\upmu\)g/mL, respectively, as determined with the WST-1 assay. Intracellular lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells was inhibited with the treatment of MFEs, including FMFE and BMFE, as observed with an image of the culture plate, using an optical microscope and Oil red O staining. The expression of the adipogenic target genes involved in adipocyte differentiation, including PPARY, C/EBP\(\alpha\), perilipin, FABP4, FAS, HSL, and SREBP-1, was suppressed with the treatment of MFEs. Additionally, the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC in 3T3-L1 cells was significantly increased following treatment with the MFEs. These results suggest that both MFEs have a potential for physiological effects on anti-obesity activity. Keywords:adipogenic target genes; _Magnolia denudata_ flower extracts; tea fermentation; 3T3-L1 adipogenesis +
Footnote †: journal: Medical  
and BMFE, respectively; all called MFEs) were analyzed to obtain detailed profiling. The chemical components of magnolia flowers were classified into four categories: flavonoids, phenylethanolamine glycoside derivatives (PhGs), caffeoyluinic acids (CQAs), and others. Our previous study showed that the sixteen main compounds of MFE were rutin, quercetin-3-O-glucose, kaempferol-3-neohesperidoside, keioside, isoverbasoside, yulanoside B, echinacoside, acetoside, isoacetoside, 1-CQA, chlorogenic acid, 4-CQA, galactinol, quinic acid, citric acid, and tyrosol. These main compounds of magnolia flower have been reported to have anti-obesity effects. Rutin, a flavonoid and one of the representative chemical compounds of magnolia flowers, was reported to have the strongest inhibition effect on the differentiation adipocytes such as 3T3-L1 cells [9; 10; 11; 12]. The other chemical components of _Magnolia denudata_ flower extracts (MFEs), such as acetoside and isoacetoside of PhGs, and caffeoyluinic acids, were also reported to have anti-obesity effects [13; 14]. Obesity contributes to a significantly increased potential for metabolic disease, such as hyperlipidaemia, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, and several types of cancer [15; 16; 17; 18; 19]. The adipose tissue regulates lipid metabolism and functions to secrete and store lipids in glucose metabolism [20; 21]. Adipose tissue is composed of adipocytes and a small number of other cells. As a molecular mechanism for adipogenesis, 3T3-L1 cell differentiation efficiency is an important factor for obesity. This process is widely used as an adipocyte differentiation model system [22; 23; 24; 25]. In our previous study, MFEs were shown to have the potential for anti-obesity effects based on the analysis of chemical components [1]. Thus, we have already confirmed the anti-obesity effect of the FMFE and BMFE in a high-fat diet murine model [26]. However, the detailed physiological activity of _Magnolia denudata_ flower extract needs to be explained at the level of intracellular mechanism. Several studies have reported on 3T3-L1 cells with fresh magnolia flowers [9; 10; 11; 12]. However, our study is different because we focused on the anti-obesity effects to observe the detailed molecular mechanism with FMFE (fresh) and BMFE (fermented). While the change in the chemical composition of AMFE was almost the same as FMFE, notable changes were observed between AMFE and BMFE [1; 26].