The anti-adipogenic effect of angiotensin II on human preadipose cells involves ERK1,2 activation and PPARG phosphorylation

Abstract

Despite the importance of adipocyte formation for adipose tissue physiology, current knowledge about the mechanisms that regulate the recruitment of progenitor cells to undergo adipogenic differentiation is limited. A role for locally generated angiotensin II emerged from studies with human and murine cells. Preadipose cells from different human fat depots show reduced response to adipogenic stimuli when exposed to angiotensin II. This investigation sought to gain an insight into the intracellular mechanisms involved in the anti-adipogenic response of human preadipose cells from omental fat to angiotensin II. Its effect was evaluated on cells stimulated to adipogenic differentiation in vitro, by assessment of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and expression of early markers of adipogenesis. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase1,2 (ERK1,2) pathway activation was inferred from the phosphorylated to total ERK1,2 ratio determined by western blot. Exposure to angiotensin II throu