Effects of clenbuterol on the expression of adiponectin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of clenbuterol (CLB) on the expression of adiponectin (ADP) in adipocytes.Methods3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes were induced into mature adipocytes, and then randomly divided into four groups based on doses of CLB: 0 μmol/L (group A, as the control), 0.5 μmol/L (group B, low-dose group), 5 µmol/L (group C, mid-dose group), and 50 μmol/L (group D, high-dose group), respectively. These four groups were cultured for both 12 h and 24 h. After CLB exposure, the effects of CLB on the expression of ADP in adipocytes were detected by qPCR and Western blotting analysis, and cell viability was quantified by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay.ResultsAt 12 h, there was no difference in the expression of ADP between group A and group B or C (P>0.05). With the increase of CLB doses, the expression level of ADP in group D was lower than that in group A (P<0.01). After 24 h of incubation, compared with group A, there was a greater decrease in the expression of ADP in group B (P<0.05), and this suppression was more remarkable in group C or D (P<0.01). At 12 h, viability of the cells in group B had no difference compared with group A (P> 0.05). A significant decrease of cell viability was counted in group C or D (P<0.05). At 24 h, with the increasing doses of CLB, viability of the cells showed more severe decrease in three experimental groups compared with the control (P<0.01).ConclusionAfter CLB exposure, the expression of ADP could be down-regulated and the decrease was more severe with the increasing doses of CLB.