Lipolytic activity of cirsimarin extracted from Microtea debilis.

This study explores the ability of cirsimarin, a plant flavonoid, to trigger lipid mobilization. Cirsimarin was extracted from Microtea debilis Swartz (Phytolaccaceae) and purified by preparative HPLC. Its lipolytic activity was assessed on isolated adipocytes from rats and compared to that of caffeine, a well known lipolytic agent. The results show an EC (50) = 0.025 +/- 0.01 mM for cirsimarin (n = 4) and of 0.49 +/- 0.08 mM for caffeine (n = 4). Furthermore, we show that cirsimarin inhibits phosphodiesterase, the enzyme that modulates cyclic nucleotide signalling. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that cirsimarin exerts strong lipolytic properties being 20 times more potent than caffeine to stimulate lipolysis, at least in part through cyclic nucleotide preservation.