α-Lipoic acid treatment increases mitochondrial biogenesis and promotes beige adipose features in subcutaneous adipocytes from overweight/obese subjects

alpha-Lipoic acid (alpha-Lip) is a natural occurring antioxidant with beneficial anti-obesity properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the putative effects of alpha-Lip on mitochondrial biogenesis and the acquirement of brown-like characteristics by subcutaneous adipocytes from overweight/obese subjects. Thus, fully differentiated human subcutaneous adipocytes were treated with alpha-Lip (100 and 250 mu M) for 24 h for studies on mitochondrial content and morphology, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, fatty acid oxidation enzymes and brown/beige characteristic genes. The involvement of the Sirtuin1/Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, coactivator 1 alpha (SIRT1/PGC-1 alpha) pathway was also evaluated. Our results showed that alpha-Lip increased mitochondrial content in cultured human adipocytes as revealed by electron microscopy and by mitotracker green labeling. Moreover, an enhancement in mtDNA content was observed. This increase was accompanied by an up-regulation of SIRT1 protein levels, a decrease in PGC-1 alpha acetylation and up-regulation of Nuclear respiratory factor 1 (Nrf1) and Mitochondria( transcription factor (Tfam) transcription factors. Enhanced oxygen consumption and fatty acid oxidation enzymes, Carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 and Acyl-coenzyme A oxidase (CPT-1 and ACOX) were also observed. Mitochondria from alpha-Lip-treated adipocytes exhibited some morphological characteristics of brown mitochondria, and alpha-Lip also induced up-regulation of some brown/beige adipocytes markers such as cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector a (Cidea) and T-box 1 (Tbx1). Moreover, alpha-Lip up-regulated PR domain containing 16 (Prdm16) mRNA levels in treated adipocytes. Therefore, our study suggests the ability of alpha-Lip to promote mitochondrial biogenesis and brown-like remodeling in cultured white subcutaneous adipocytes from overweight/obese donors. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.