Cinchonine (C(19)H(22)N(2)O) is a natural compound of Cinchona bark. Although
cinchonine's antiplatelet effect has been reported in the previous study, antiobesity effect of
cinchonine has never been studied. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether
cinchonine reduces high-fat-diet- (HFD-) induced adipogenesis and
inflammation in the epididymal fat tissues of mice and to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in these reductions. HFD-fed mice treated with 0.05% dietary
cinchonine for 10 weeks had reduced
body weight gain (-38%), visceral fat-pad weights (-26%), and plasma levels of
triglyceride,
free fatty acids, total
cholesterol, and
glucose compared with mice fed with the HFD. Moreover,
cinchonine significantly reversed HFD-induced downregulations of WNT10b and
galanin-mediated signaling molecules and key adipogenic genes in the epididymal adipose tissues of mice.
Cinchonine also attenuated the HFD-induced upregulation of proinflammatory
cytokines by inhibiting toll-like-receptor-2- (TLR2-) and TLR4-mediated signaling cascades in the adipose tissue of mice. Our findings suggest that dietary
cinchonine with its effects on adipogenesis and
inflammation may have a potential benefit in preventing
obesity.