Effects of Chlorella vulgaris, Microchloropsis Gaditana and Gracilaria vermiculophylla algae extracts on maturing and mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, and it is a risk factor for various metabolic disorders. White adipose tissue expansion depends on hyperplasia and hypertrophy of adipocytes, thus the search for new tools that target these two processes is relevant for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Algae are an interesting source of bioactive compounds and have been demonstrated to exert beneficial health effects. Therefore, this study aims at analysing the effects on adipogenesis and triglyceride accumulation of peptide- and protein-rich extracts obtained from the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Microchloropsis gaditana and the macroalga Gracilaria vermiculophylla. 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes and mature adipocytes were incubated with each of the extracts at 10, 25, 50 and 150 µg/mL. The extracts were found to reduce triglyceride content in maturing pre-adipocytes, without cytotoxic effects. Although, in all cases, it seems that the extracts cannot act throughout the whole adipogenic process, they are effective in suppressing pre-adipocyte differentiation, to a greater or lesser extent. This effect is most likely mediated mainly by the transcription factor C/EBPα. Under our experimental conditions, the extracts used in the present study are effective in inhibiting adipogenesis but they are not able to reduce triglyceride accumulation in mature adipocytes.