Treatment with ascorbic acid reduces adiponection levels in 3T3L1 adipocytes

Adiponectin is a cytokine synthesized and secreted by adipose tissue. Of the array of adipokines produced by adipose cells, it is synthesized in the highest concentration. Adiponectin is generally thought to be anti‐inflammatory and useful in promoting insulin sensitivity in fat cells. Oxidative stress is considered to be a modulator of metabolic disease conditions. Ascorbic acid is a strong antioxidant that is capable of alleviating oxidative stress. We hypothesized that treatment of adipocytes with ascorbic acid may increase the production of adiponectin. We used 3T3‐L1 cells to monitor the protein levels of adiponectin. 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes were allowed to differentiate using a standard insulin/dexamethasone/3‐isobutyl‐1‐methylxanthine protocol. On post‐differentiation Day 8, cells were treated with ascorbic acid for 48 hours. It was found that treatment with moderate to high levels of ascorbic acid reduced the expression of adiponectin in cell lysates. This observation suggests that adipocytes may suffer some level of stress related to ascorbic acid treatment which results in reduction of adiponectin levels. This research was funded by Florida International University.