Tricin, a methylated cereal flavone, suppresses fat accumulation by downregulating AKT and mTOR in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

The anti-adipogenic effect of tricin (5, 7, 4'-trihydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxyflavone), a flavone frequently found in cereal crops, and its underlying molecular mechanism were evaluated in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Tricin treatment (5-20 µM) significantly inhibited triacylglycerol (TG) accumulation without showing cytotoxicity. The expression of protein kinase B (AKT) was decreased by 80% using 20 µM tricin. The inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by tricin led to a significant suppression of the protein levels of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBP-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) and nuclear sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1). These results suggest that tricin regulates adipogenesis by targeting the AKT/mTORC1/SREBP-1 pathway in the adipose tissue and it could be used as an anti-obesity agent.