Anthraquinones of Cassiae Semen alleviate lipid accumulation in obesity by regulating brown adipose tissue and liver function.

OBJECTIVE: Cassiae Semen (CS, Juemingzi in Chinese) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine with a variety of pharmacological effects. This study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms of anthraquinones of CS (AQS) for adiposity. METHODS: The chemical components of the AQS were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Network pharmacology analysis was used to predict potential anti-obesity targets of action for AQS. We constructed high fat with high sugar water diet-induced obese mice and observed their body weight and whole-body lipid metabolism to evaluate the efficacy of AQS in promoting lipid metabolism. Subsequently, the epidermal temperature at the brown adipose tissue (BAT) before and after cold stimulation was observed and the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes in the liver and BAT tissues was detected to clarify the mechanism of action of AQS. RESULTS: Network pharmacology analysis showed that AQS was involved in the regulation of liver and adipose tissue function under obesity. Pathological and biochemical results showed that AQS reduced lipid accumulation in the liver and adipose tissue induced by an unhealthy diet. With the increase of cold tolerance, the volume and weight of BAT were increased by AQS, suggesting that it regulated the body heat production dominated by BAT. After AQS treatment, the levels of genes related to uncoupling protein1 (UCP1)-mediated adaptive thermogenesis in BAT tissues and lipid metabolism in the liver were also increased, which further proved that AQS activated BAT function to promote lipid metabolism in the whole body. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the pharmacological effects of AQS, thereby providing a scientific basis for regulating BAT thermogenesis and liver lipid metabolism to alleviate obesity and providing clues for further exploring the application of natural active ingredients in the treatment of metabolism-related diseases.