Abstract:Nuciferine content in 25 varieties of lotus leaf was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A lipid accumulation model using AML-12 cells was established with oleic acid induction to study the effects of nuciferine on lipid metabolism. The accumulation of lipid droplets in the cells was evaluated by measuring triglyceride (TG) content and by oil red O staining, and the expression of proteins regulated by the adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway was assessed to explore the mechanism by which nuciferine affects lipid metabolism. HPLC analysis revealed significant differences in nuciferine content among different lotus leaf varieties. Among these variants, the mass fraction from “Fozuolian” was highest (0.68 mg/g), while that of “Jinfeng” was lowest (0.22 mg/g). In terms of lipid metabolism, compared with the control group, the number of lipid droplets in the model group increased significantly with increasing TG level, while P-AMPK and adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) protein expression decreased significantly (P<0.05). With administration of nuciferine, lipid droplet and TG content accumulation in AML-12 cells significantly decreased (P<0.05), while expression of P-AMPK and ATGL proteins significantly increased (P<0.05). This suggests that there are significant differences in nuciferine content among lotus leaves of different varieties, and nuciferine may regulate lipid metabolism in AML-12 cells by regulating the AMPK/ATGL pathway. These results provide technical support for the development and utilization of lotus leaves.
