Inhibitory Eff ects of Cultivated Wild Ginseng on the Differentiation of 3T3-L1 Pre-adipocytes

Wild ginseng has been used as a traditional medicine for thousands of years and for increase physical strength in Korea, China and Japan. This study reports that cultivated wild ginseng (CWG) inhibits adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Inhibition of adipocyte differentiation is one possible anti-obesity strategy. CWG inhibits the expression of the adipocyte differentiation regulator peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR)γ and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α mRNA. It also inhibited the expression of PPARγ and adiponectin at the protein level during the differentiation of pre-adipocytes into adipocytes. Additionally, CWG blocked the cell cycle at the sub-G1 phase transition, causing cells to remain in the pre-adipocyte state. These results indicate that CWG inhibits adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis through pre-adipocyte cell cycle arrest in cultured 3T3-L1 cells.