BBRC - Sea-Thin.pdfVIP

BBRC Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 332 (2005) 392–397 /locate/ybbrc Fucoxanthin from edible seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, shows antiobesity effect through UCP1 expression in white adipose tissues q Hayato Maeda a, Masashi Hosokawa a, Tokutake Sashima a,b, Katsura Funayama c, Kazuo Miyashita a,* a Laboratory of Biofunctional Material Chemistry, Division of Marine Bioscience, Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan b Creative Research Institute, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan c Riken Vitamin Co., Tokyo 174-0065, Japan Received 30 March 2005 Available online 6 May 2005 Abstract Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is usually expressed only in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and a key molecule for metabolic thermogenesis to avoid an excess of fat accumulation. However, there is little BAT in adult humans. Therefore, UCP1 expression in tissues other than BAT is expected to reduce abdominal fat. Here, we show reduction of abdominal white adipose tissue (WAT) weights in rats and mice by feeding lipids from edible seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida. Clear signals of UCP1 protein and mRNA were detected in WAT of mice fed the Undaria lipids, although there is little expression of UCP1 in WAT of mice fed control diet. The Undaria lipids mainly consisted of glycolipids and seaweed carotenoid, fucoxanthin. In t