Lipolysis induced by segment wall extract from Satsuma mandarin orange (Citrus unshu Mark).

The lipolysis induced by Satsuma mandarin orange (Citrus unshu Mark) was investigated using rat fat cells. Peel or segment wall extract from Satsuma mandarin orange induced the lipolysis in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas juice sac extract did not induce the lipolysis. High concentration of synephrine, which is an adrenergic amine, was detected in the peel or segment wall extract, whereas it was not detected in the juice sac extract. The segment wall extracts from Iyokan and orange had high lipolytic activity, whereas the extracts from grapefruit and lemon did not have lipolytic activity. The beta-antagonist inhibited the lipolysis elicited by the segment wall extract from Satsuma mandarin orange, whereas alpha-antagonist did not inhibit the lipolysis induced by the segment wall. The lipolysis induced by the segment wall was considerably higher in the visceral fat cells when compared to the subcutaneous fat cells. These results suggest that the segment wall, an edible fraction, from Satsuma mandarin orange might be useful as a functional food, especially as a fat-reducing material.