How does Acarbose Affect Triglyceride Metabolism in Adipocytes?

Acarbose is a pseudo-carbohydrate, α-glucosidase inhibitor designed to treat the effects of type II diabetes mellitus by delaying the uptake of starch monosaccharides after a large meal. Aside from Acarbose’s ability to manage blood glucose concentrations, it is also revealed to increase the rate of triglyceride metabolism, leading to an overall leaner phenotype. A potential explanation to this phenomenon could be the overexpression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL). This enzyme acts as the rate-limiting step to triglyceride metabolism and it accounts for over 90% of triglyceride metabolism in the body. To conduct our experiments, we will differentiate 3T3L1 cell lines into mature adipocytes and treat them with varying concentrations of Acarbose for 24-hour and 48-hour time intervals. We will then lyse the treated cells via lysis buffer and three rounds sonication and flash freezing. Lysates will be probed for ATGL using an immunoblot assay and activity will be determined using a fluorescence assay. From these results, we can conclude whether Acarbose has any effects on the expression of ATGL. Such findings could be implemented in future research to create a viable solution for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and other diseases related to lipotoxicity.