Ghrelin Promotes Proliferation and Inhibits Differentiation of 3T3-L1 and Human Primary Preadipocytes

OBJECTIVE: Ghrelin is a 28-amino-acid peptide that regulates energy hemostasis, glucose and lipid metabolism. We aimed to explore the effects of ghrelin on the proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 and human primary preadipocytes. METHODS: 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) spectrophotometry, Oil Red O staining, intracellular glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-3-PDH) assays and semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were used to investigate the action of ghrelin. RESULTS: Ghrelin (0.01–1000 ng/ml) significantly increased the numbers of 3T3-L1 cells, and the maximum stimulatory effect was observed with the 10 ng/ml ghrelin treatment for 24 h (p < 0.05). Ghrelin also promoted the proliferation of human primary preadipocytes from 24 h (p < 0.05) to 48 h (p < 0.05) at a concentration of 1000 ng/ml. Further investigation showed that IGF-1 levels were notably increased in ghrelin-treated 3T3-L1 and human preadipocytes, and IGF-1 antibody was capable to attenuate this stimulatory action of ghrelin (all p < 0.05). Additionally, ghrelin significantly suppressed the differentiation of 3T3-L1 and human primary preadipocytes; 10 ng/ml ghrelin notably downregulated G-3-PDH activities in 3T3-L1 cells on day 3 and in human cells from days 4 to 12 following differentiation (all p < 0.05), and the intracellular lipoprotein lipase mRNA levels were lower than that of the controls (p < 0.05). Further investigation showed that the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARγ2) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPs) were also suppressed in ghrelin-treated human differentiating adipocytes. CONCLUSION: Ghrelin promotes the proliferation of 3T3-L1 and human primary preadipocytes by increasing the expression of IGF-1. Ghrelin inhibits murine and human adipocyte differentiation by downregulating PPARγ2 and C/EBPα levels, consequently leading to decreased lipid accumulation and lipogenic enzymes expression.