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Planta Med 2011; 77(5): 497-504
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1250435
Biological Screening
Original Papers
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

PPARα Activation by Culinary Herbs and Spices

Monika Mueller1 , Verena Beck1 , Alois Jungbauer1
  • 1Christian Doppler Laboratory for Receptor Biotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Further Information

Publication History

received August 2, 2010 revised Sept. 18, 2010

accepted Sept. 23, 2010

Publication Date:
18 October 2010 (online)

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Abstract

Hyper- and dyslipidemia are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the primary cause of death in industrialized countries. Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR)α activation is involved in various mechanisms that improve the lipid profile. We tested various plant extracts and their compounds to determine whether they stimulated PPARα activity in vitro. Out of 34 tested plant extracts, nine exhibited low to moderate PPARα transactivation, including caraway, chili pepper, nutmeg, licorice, black and white pepper, paprika, coriander, saffron, and stevia tea. The active components of black pepper and chili pepper, piperine, and capsaicin exerted the highest transactivational activities with EC50 values of 84 µM and 49 µM, respectively. The chalcones, including 2-hydroxychalcone, 2′-hydroxychalcone, 4-hydroxychalcone, and 4-methoxychalcone, moderately transactivated PPARα. Resveratrol and apigenin only slightly transactivated PPARα. These results suggest that a diet rich in fruit, herbs, and spices provides a number of PPARα agonists that might contribute to an improved lipid profile.

Key words

PPARα - plants - spices - hyperlipidemia - dyslipidemia - chalcones

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Alois Jungbauer

Christian Doppler Laboratory for Receptor Biotechnology
Department of Biotechnology
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences

Muthgasse 18

1190 Vienna

Austria

Phone: +43 13 60 06 62 26

Fax: +43 13 69 76 16

Email: alois.jungbauer@boku.ac.at

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