Water Extracts of Paecilomyces tenuipes Inhibit Cathepsin S-induced Adipocyte Differentiation in 3T3-L1 Cells

Cathepsin S is a cysteine protease that affects extracellular matrix remodeling. Recently, several studies have reported that cathepsin S is involved in obesity. Both mouse and human adipose cells produce this enzyme in the early phase of adipocyte differentiation, where it degrades fibronectin. Cathepsin S gene expression is elevated in the adipose tissue of obese mice as compared to that of lean mice. Paecilomyces tenuipes water extracts (PTW) are shown to have an inhibitory effect on cathepsin S activity. In this study, Z-Val-Val-Arg-MCA was used as a cathepsin S-specific substrate in order to examine inhibitory effect of PTW. Supplementing 3T3-L1 cell media with PTW clearly reduced lipid droplet accumulation and cathepsin S-induced adipogenesis. Furthermore, PTW decreased weight gain, subcutaneous adipose tissue growth, the level of serum triglyceride, and total cholesterol in mice fed a high-fat diet. These data suggest that PTW work against adipose cathepsin S and presumably contribute to anti-obese activities.