27-Hydroxycholesterol suppresses lipid accumulation by down-regulating lipogenic and adipogenic gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells

Cholesterol oxidation products (oxycholesterols) are produced from cholesterol by automatic and/or enzymatic oxidation of the steroidal backbone and side-chain. Oxycholesterols are present in plasma and serum, suggesting that oxycholesterols are related to the development and progression of various diseases. However, limited information is available about the absolute amounts of oxycholesterols in organs and tissues, and the physiological significance of oxycholesterols in the body. In the present study, we quantified the levels of 13 oxycholesterols in white adipose tissue (WAT) of mice and then evaluated correlations between each oxycholesterol level and WAT weight. The sum of the levels of 13 oxycholesterols in WAT (white adipose tissue) was 15.9 +/- 3.4 mu g/g of WAT weight and approximately 1 % of cholesterol level. Among oxycholesterols, the levels of 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OH), an endogenous oxycholesterol produced by enzymatic oxidation, and the relative WAT weights were significantly negatively correlated. Next, we evaluated the effects of 27-OH on lipogenesis and adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. TO901317 (TO), a potent and selective agonist for LXR alpha, significantly increased intracellular TAG contents, while 27-OH significantly reduced the contents to half when compared with control (DMSO) and completely abolished the effect of TO. In addition, 27-OH significantly reduced the mRNA levels of lipogenic (LXR alpha and FAS) and adipogenic genes (PPAR gamma and aP2) during adipocyte maturation of 3T3-L1 cells. In conclusion, our results indicate that 27-OH suppresses lipid accumulation by down-regulating lipogenic and adipogenic gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells.