N-Acetylcysteine Inhibits Lipids Production in Mature Adipocytes through the Inhibition of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor 

Abstract

Aims: Reports regarding the effects of antioxidants in obesity have been contradictory. AntioxidantN-acetylcysteine is usually considered a nutritional supplement. Our aim is to evaluate bioactivity ofN-acetylcysteine (NAC) on mature adipocytes, which is a close model to in vivo condition.Study Design: In vitro study.Place and Duration of Study: Department of Basic Science (Universidad Nacional de Lujan),Department of Chemical Biology (Universidad de Buenos Aires), CONICET ? INEDES andCONICET ? IQUIBICEN, between March 2017 and June 2019.Methodology: We evaluated the bioactivity of different concentrations of NAC for 5 days (0.01 mMto 5 mM) on fully differentiated 3T3-L1 cells (mature adipocytes).Results: We demonstrated that NAC treatment was not toxic to mature adipocytes. Only 5mM NACinhibited reactive oxygen species production. 5 mM NAC treatment resulted in a 60% decrease incellular triglycerides content and inhibited 70% cholesterol accumulation. We also determined themRNA and protein expression levels of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor  as well as,mRNA levels of lipid protein Perilipin in NAC treated adipocytes; we observed that 5mM NACtreatment caused nearly 30% decrease in the expression of these parameters.Conclusion: These results suggest that NAC could avoid lipid accumulation in mature adipocytes;the antioxidant NAC could be beneficial in obesity treatment.