Desalted Salicornia europaea powder and its active constituent, trans-ferulic acid, exert anti-obesity effects by suppressing adipogenic-related factors

Context: Salicornia europaea (Amaranthaceae) (SE) has been shown to reduce obesity, but it remains a problem as a food supplement because of its high salt content (25-35% NaCl). Objectives: This study investigated the anti-obesity effects and mechanism of action of desalted SE powder (DSP). Materials and methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 50) were divided into a normal control group (NC), a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity control group (HFD), and HFD groups co-administered DSP (250 and 500 mg/kg) or Garcinia cambogia (Clusiaceae) extract (GE, 200mg/kg, standard control) orally each day for 12 weeks. Results: The body weight was significantly reduced by co-administration of DSP (596.51 +/- 19.84 kg, 4.60% and 562.08 +/- 9.74 kg, 10.10%, respectively) and GE (576.00 +/- 11.29 kg, 7.88%) relative to the HFD group (625.25 +/- 14.02 kg) and was accompanied by reduced abdominal fat mass, and serum lipid levels, with no effects on feed intake. To find the underlying mechanism of the anti-obesity effects, trans-ferulic acid (TFA) was identified as the main ingredient and investigated with regard to whether it attenuated adipo-genesity in 3T3L-1 cells. DSP-derived TFA suppressed adipocyte differentiation and accumulation of intracellular lipids. TFA also down-regulated the adipogenesis-related gene expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha and fatty acid synthase. Conclusions: These findings suggest that DSP may be considered for use as a food supplement intent of controlling obesity through its antiobesity and antiadipogenic properties.