Effects of NET-2201 (Capsicum chinense L. cv.) on brown adipose tissue activation and white adipose tissue browning in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice.

The present study explored the anti-obesity effects of NET-2201 (Capsicum chinense L. cv.), a non-pungent cultivated variety of chili pepper, and its underlying molecular mechanism in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Administration of 50 mg/kg NET-2201 significantly inhibited body weight (BW) gain and reduced adipose tissue weight in obese mice. NET-2201 caused improvement in the expression levels of genes associated with lipid metabolism in white adipose tissue (WAT) to near-normal levels. Furthermore, NET-2201 significantly increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) protein expressions in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Moreover, NET-2201 activated WAT browning by altering the expression levels of brown and beige adipocyte-selective genes, including UCP1, PGC-1α, and PR domain containing 16. Our results indicate that dietary NET-2201 mitigates BW gain by activating BAT and inducing WAT browning. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-024-01692-z.