Isomer-Specific Effect of Conjugated Linoleic Acid on Inflammatory Adipokines Associated with Fat Accumulation in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

The purpose of this study was to examine the isomer-specific effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on inflammatory markers associated with fat accumulation in cultures of differentiating 3T3-L1 adipocytes. trans-10,cis-12 CLA(t10c12 CLA) reduced leptin secretion and fat accumulation. Linoleic acid (LA) and cis-9,trans-11 CLA (c9t11 CLA) increased them, but not significantly. t10c12 CLA and LA showed similar effects on mRNA expression of inflammatory markers.t10c12 CLA and LA tended to up-regulate the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 (not significantly), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and C-reactive protein (CRP) with no significant change in the secretion of adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory adipokine. However, c9t11 CLA induced no significant change in the mRNA expression of IL-6, TNF-α, or CRP, but significantly increased adiponectin secretion. In conclusion, CLA exerted isomer-specific effects on fat accumulation and mRNA expression of inflammatory markers in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. t10c12 CLA up-regulated inflammatory markers in spite of the decreased fat accumulation, and TNF-α might be one of the causal factors.