Novel indole and triazole based hybrid molecules exhibit potent anti-adipogenic and antidyslipidemic activity by activating Wnt3a/β-catenin pathway.

Obesity and dyslipidemia is the two facet of metabolic syndrome, which needs further attention. Recent studies indicate triazole and indole derivatives have remarkable anti-obesity/antidyslipidemic activity. To harness the above-mentioned potential, a series of novel triazole clubbed indole derivatives were prepared using click chemistry and evaluated for anti-adipogenic activity. Based on the structure-activity relationship, essential functional groups which potentiate anti-adipogenic activity were identified. The lead compound 13m exhibited potent anti-adipogenic activity compared to its parent compounds with the IC-50 value of 1.67 μM. Further evaluation of anti-adipogenic activity was conducted in different cell lines such as C3H10T1/2 and hMSC with positive result. The anti-adipogenic effect of compound 13m was most prominent in the early phase of adipogenesis, which is driven by the G1 to S phase cell cycle arrest during mitotic clonal expansion. The mechanistic study suggests that compound 13m exhibit anti-adipogenic property by activating Wnt3a/β-catenin pathway, a known suppressor of key adipogenic genes PPARγ and C/EBPα. It is noteworthy that the compound 13m also reduced serum triglyceride, LDL and total cholesterol in Syrian Golden hamster model of dyslipidemia. The anti-adipogenic activity of compound 13m can also be correlated with decreased expression of PPARγ and increased expression of β-catenin in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) in vivo. The compound 13m also increased the expression of genes involved in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) such as PPARα and LXR1α indicating another mechanism by which compound 13m ameliorates dyslipidemia in Syrian Golden hamster model. Overall this study provides a unique perspective into the anti-adipogenic/antidyslipidemic property of triazole and indole hybrids molecules with further scope to increase the anti-adipogenic potency for therapeutic intervention of obesity and metabolic syndrome.