Effects of Capsicum Oleoresin on the Energy Expenditure and Mitochondrial Content of Brown Adipose Tissue in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Capsicum oleoresin (CO) is a concentrated extract derived from peppers (<i>Capsicum annum</i> L.) containing capsaicin (the active compound responsible for its pungency) and other bioactive components. The present study aimed to determine whether CO affects the energy expenditure and mitochondrial content of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in diet-induced obese mice. Four-week-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups and fed with a normal chow diet, 45% high-fat diet (HF), or HF supplemented with 0.01% CO (HF+CO) for 16 weeks. The results showed that CO supplementation significantly suppressed weight gain and improved serum lipid profiles compared with HF feeding. The energy expenditure was significantly higher in the HF+CO group than in the HF group. Compared with the HF group, the HF+CO group had significantly upregulated the messenger RNA expression levels of uncoupling protein 1 (<i>UCP1</i>) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (<i>PGC-1α</i>) in BAT. The mitochondrial DNA content, which was reduced by HF intake, was significantly restored in the HF+CO group. Furthermore, the mitochondrial size and number were restored in the HF+CO group than in in the HF group. The activity of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in BAT was significantly increased in the HF+CO group than in the HF group. In conclusion, CO potentially inhibits weight gain by increasing energy expenditure in diet-induced obese mice. This beneficial effect is likely associated with the enhancement of mitochondrial content by upregulating key markers, including <i>UCP1</i>, <i>PGC-1α</i>, and AMPK, in BAT.