High Content of Quercetin, an Ingredient That Inhibits Fat Cell Proliferation
A study has found that Acer pictum has appetite-suppressing effects. Acer pictum is a vascular plant belonging to the maple family, commonly found throughout Korea.
On the 1st, the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources announced that it confirmed that Acer pictum extract suppresses the expression of genes that stimulate appetite and promotes the expression of genes that suppress appetite.
The institute confirmed in the 'Research on Functional Flavonoids Derived from Freshwater Biological Resource Extracts,' which began the year before last, that Acer pictum extract contains a high amount of the flavonoid quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that reduces inflammation, strengthens immunity, and inhibits the proliferation of fat cells.
When the research team administered Acer pictum branch and leaf extracts to hypothalamic neurons, the gene expression of the appetite-stimulating neuropeptide NPY was reduced by 72.46% and 50.61%, respectively, compared to the control group.
The gene expression of another appetite-stimulating neuropeptide, AgRP, was also suppressed by 66.34% and 50.44%, respectively, by Acer pictum branch and leaf extracts.
The gene expression of the appetite-suppressing neuropeptide POMC increased by 27.49% and 40.34%, respectively, when treated with Acer pictum branch and leaf extracts.
The research team also identified that the appetite-suppressing components in Acer pictum extract are 'isoquercitrin' and 'guaiaverin.' The team explained that isoquercitrin and guaiaverin showed effects similar to liraglutide, the main ingredient in obesity treatments currently available on the market.
The research team filed a patent for these findings last month.
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