Eicosapentaenoic acid stimulates AMP-activated protein kinase and increases visfatin secretion in cultured murine adipocytes

International audienceVisfatin is an adipokine highly expressed in visceral adipose tissue (AT) of humans and rodents, the production of which seems to be dysregulated in excessive fat accumulation and conditions of insulin resistance. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), has been demonstrated to exert beneficial effects within obesity and insulin resistance conditions, which have been further linked to its reported ability to modulate adipokine production by adipocytes. TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine whose production is increased in obesity and involved in the development of insulin resistance. Control of adipokine production by some insulin-sensitizing compounds has been associated with the stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The aim of this study was to examine in vitro the effects of EPA on visfatin production and the potential involvement of AMPK both in the absence or presence of TNF-α Treatment with the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (1 ng/mL) did not modify visfatin gene expression and protein secretion in primary cultured rat adipocytes. However, treatment of these primary adipocytes with EPA (200 µM) for 24 h significantly increased visfatin secretion (p<0.001) and mRNA gene expression (p