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EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF DELPHINIDIN TREATMENT ON BROWNING PROCESSES IN 3T3-L1 PREADIPOCYTE CELLS: A FOODOMICS APPROACH

ELİF DİDEM ÖRS DEMET 1,2, KÜBRA UÇAR BAŞ 2, ASLIHAN ALPASLAN 2, DİLEM TUGAL ASLAN 2, TUBA RECBER 3, TUGBA GULSUN 4, MUSTAFA ÇELEBİER 3, ZEYNEP GÖKTAŞ 2*

1 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Nezahat Keleşoğlu Faculty of Health Sciences, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Türkiye
2 Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara 06100, Türkiye
3 Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, Ankara 06100, Türkiye
4 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hacettepe University, Ankara 06100, Türkiye

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Foodomics uses advanced omics technologies to evaluate the molecular effects of food components in organisms. Delphinidin, a valuable polyphenol anthocyanidin, has demonstrated protective effects against obesity-related conditions, making it a promising candidate for dietary supplements. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of delphinidin treatment (5, 10, and 20 µM) on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in relation to thermogenesis and browning processes. The cells were treated in two distinct stages of adipocyte formation: during differentiation and the subsequent maturation process. To achieve this, we evaluated the expression of the main protein markers (UCP1, PGC1-α, and PPARγ) and genes correlated with browning (UCP1, PPARγ, C/EBPβ, PGC1-α, CIDEA, FABP4, and PRDM16) as well as those related to lipid metabolism. A GC-MS-based metabolomics method was used to understand delphinidin’s effects at the lipid level. The results suggest that delphinidin may contribute to the browning of adipose tissue through regulators such as UCP1 and PRDM16, while not affecting PPARγ, C/EBPβ, and FABP4. The foodomics approach, which integrates multi-omics data, indicates that delphinidin interacts across different metabolic pathways, influencing metabolites such as glyceraldehyde, alanine, and porphine. These findings offer a strong basis for the development of obesity therapeutics through dietary supplements, though further studies are required to confirm delphinidin’s browning effects.