Soy Isoflavones Regulate Lipid Metabolism through an AKT/mTORC1 Pathway in Diet-Induced Obesity (DIO) Male Rats

The pandemic tendency of obesity and its strong association with serious co-morbidities have elicited interest in the underlying mechanisms of these pathologies. Lipid homeostasis, closely involved in obesity, has been reported to be regulated by multiple pathways. mTORC1 is emerging as a critical regulator of lipid metabolism. Here, we describe that the consumption of soy isoflavones, with a structural similarity to that of estradiol, could mitigate obesity through an AKT/mTORC1 pathway. Fed with soy isoflavones, the diet-induced obesity (DIO) male rats exhibited decreased body weight, accompanied with suppressed lipogenesis and adipogenesis, as well as enhanced lipolysis and β‑oxidation. The phosphorylation of AKT and S6 were decreased after soy isoflavone treatment in vivo and in vitro, suggesting an inhibition effect of soy isoflavones on mTORC1 activity. Our study reveals a potential mechanism of soy isoflavones regulating lipid homeostasis, which will be important for obesity treatment.

Abstract licence: CC BY

• Current Perspectives on the Beneficial Effects of Soybean Isoflavones and Their Metabolites for Humans · 2021

• Beyond the Cholesterol-Lowering Effect of Soy Protein: A Review of the Effects of Dietary Soy and Its Constituents on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease · 2017

A person counts once a day per paper. We keep no cookie and no address: a reader is a hash that changes every day. Any month under five reads shows no number.