Phlorizin treatment attenuates obesity and related disorders through improving BAT thermogenesis

Phlorizin is a member of the chalcone class of organic compounds and was originally extracted from apples. Intensive studies about phlorizin have been conducted. The aim of this study was to determine the therapeutic effects of phlorizin on diet-induced obese mice and to investigate the underlying mechanism. The results show that phlorizin has a beneficial impact on body weight and fat mass, alleviates lipid metabolism and glucose homeostasis. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) temperature was increased and morphological abnormalities were improved in obese mice after phlorizin treatment. Phlorizin activates the Tyk2/STAT3 signalling pathway, up-regulates the protein expression of UCP1, PPARα, PPARγ, C/EBPβ and PRDM16, as well as increases BAT activity which contributes to antiobesity effects. This study suggests that phlorizin activates the Tyk2/STAT3 signalling pathway to induce thermogenesis in BAT and phlorizin has the therapeutic potential in treating obesity and comorbidity.