Dracunculin Inhibits Adipogenesis in Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells by Activating AMPK and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

Increased bone marrow adiposity is widely observed in patients with obesity and osteoporosis and reported to have deleterious effects on bone formation. Dracunculin (DCC) is a coumarin isolated from Artemisia spp. but, until now, has not been studied for its bioactive potential except antitrypanosomal activity. In this context, current study has reported the anti-adipogenic effect of DCC in human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBM-MSCs). DCC dose-dependently inhibited the lipid accumulation and expression of adipogenic transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP alpha) in hBM-MSCs induced to undergo adipogenesis. To elucidate its action mechanism, the effect of DCC on Wnt/beta-catenin and AMPK pathways was examined. Results showed that DCC treatment activated Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway via AMPK evidenced by increased levels of AMPK phosphorylation and Wnt10b expression after DCC treatment. In addition, DCC treated adipo-induced hBM-MSCs exhibited significantly increased nuclear levels of beta-catenin compared with diminished nuclear PPAR gamma levels. In conclusion, DCC was shown to be able to hinder adipogenesis by activating the beta-catenin via AMPK, providing potential utilization of DCC as a nutraceutical against bone marrow adiposity.