Carnosic Acid and Carnosol Activate AMPK, Suppress Expressions of Gluconeogenic and Lipogenic Genes, and Inhibit Proliferation of HepG2 Cells.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
In vitro cell culture study (HepG2 cells)
PubMed 33919842 · doi:10.3390/ijms22084040
What was done
Researchers treated human HepG2 hepatoma cells with rosemary-derived compounds (carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid) to examine their metabolic and cellular effects. They evaluated the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC1, forskolin-induced expression of gluconeogenic enzymes (G6PC, PCK1) and CRE transcriptional activity, mRNA levels of lipogenic genes (ACC1, FAS, SREBP-1c), and cell proliferation and viability.
What was found
Carnosic acid and carnosol, but not rosmarinic acid, significantly induced phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC1. Both carnosic acid and carnosol suppressed forskolin-induced upregulation of G6PC and PCK1, inhibited CRE transcriptional activity, and significantly reduced mRNA levels of ACC1, FAS, and SREBP-1c. They also suppressed HepG2 cell proliferation and reduced cell viability. The abstract reports these qualitative directional changes without exact numerical values, concentrations, or effect sizes.
Why it matters
This work identifies specific rosemary components that modulate hepatic energy sensing and suppress pathways involved in gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis at the cellular level.
Limits
The study was conducted entirely in vitro in an immortalized hepatoma cell line (HepG2), which does not fully capture in vivo hepatic metabolism or pharmacokinetics. No quantitative effect sizes, dosing metrics, or animal/human data are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Carnosic acid functions as a mild Nrf2 inducer, mild NF-κB inhibitor, and mild AMPK activator.