{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T05:16:11Z","timestamp":1791090971555,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]],"date-time":"2025-06-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751241600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100012547","name":"Guangxi Natural Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2025GXNSFAA069967"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025GXNSFAA069967"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100012547","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Plants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Obesity and its associated complications, including oxidative stress, pose significant global health challenges. Natural products offer a promising avenue for developing novel therapeutic strategies. In this study, we investigated the potential of Panax japonicus (T. Nees) C.A. Meyer, a traditional medicinal plant known for its antioxidant and anti-obesity properties. A methanol extract of Panax japonicus and its fractions were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant activities (tested using DPPH and reducing power assays), pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitory capacities, and underlying mechanisms of action. The results indicated that the ethyl acetate fraction of P. japonicus (PJEA) exhibited the greatest potency, demonstrating strong antioxidant activity and significantly inhibiting digestive enzyme activity (pancreatic lipase). Mechanistic studies revealed that the PL inhibition was of a mixed type, combining both competitive and non-competitive mechanisms. Furthermore, PJEA demonstrated the ability to inhibit the differentiation of preadipocytes, primarily exerting its anti-adipogenic effects by downregulating the mRNA expression of PPAR\u03b3 and the gene expression of C\/EBP\u03b1. In addition, the extract suppressed the gene expression of FAS and ACC in adipose tissue. Isolation of the bioactive compounds from PJEA identified kaempferol 3-O-\u03b1-L-rhamnoside and catechin, which potentially contribute to the observed anti-obesity effects. Overall, this study highlights P. japonicus as a promising natural ingredient for scavenging free radicals and managing obesity, suggesting its potential for development into functional foods or therapeutic agents.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/plants14132003","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]],"date-time":"2025-06-30T11:37:51Z","timestamp":1751283471000},"page":"2003","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Antioxidant and Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitory Activities of Panax japonicus (T. Nees) C.A. Meyer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Jinfeng","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Food Science & Engineering Technology, Hezhou University, Hezhou 542899, China"},{"name":"Guangxi Key Laboratory of Health Care Food Science and Technology, Hezhou University, Hezhou 542899, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenxuan","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Biological & Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou 545006, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ju Hee","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Applied Plant Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eun Soo","family":"Seong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Applied Plant Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yong Soo","family":"Kwon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4378-4071","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Myong Jo","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bioherb Research Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110539","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2021.110539","article-title":"The anti-obesogenic effects of dietary berry fruits: A review","volume":"147","author":"Jiang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"800","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2024.1576","article-title":"Global prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"178","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drudis.2007.07.024","article-title":"Pancreatic lipase inhibitors from natural sources: Unexplored potential","volume":"12","author":"Birari","year":"2007","journal-title":"Drug Discov. Today"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"133834","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2022.133834","article-title":"Effects of different particle-sized insoluble dietary fibre from citrus peel on adsorption and activity inhibition of pancreatic lipase","volume":"398","author":"Yu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"116505","DOI":"10.1016\/j.molliq.2021.116505","article-title":"Mechanistic insights into the inhibition of pancreatic lipase by apigenin: Inhibitory interaction, conformational change and molecular docking studies","volume":"335","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Mol. Liq."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(07)60033-6","article-title":"Drug treatments for obesity: Orlistat, sibutramine, and rimonabant","volume":"369","author":"Padwal","year":"2007","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131904","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2021.131904","article-title":"The reciprocal interaction between polyphenols and other dietary compounds: Impact on bioavailability, antioxidant capacity and other physico-chemical and nutritional parameters","volume":"375","author":"Cianciosi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100235","DOI":"10.1016\/j.phyplu.2022.100235","article-title":"Phytochemical and biological characterization of dry outer scales extract from Tropea red onion (Allium cepa L. var. Tropea)-A promising inhibitor of pancreatic lipase","volume":"2","author":"Marrelli","year":"2022","journal-title":"Phytomedicine"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"126785","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2020.126785","article-title":"Antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory effects of flavonoids from different citrus peel extracts: An in vitro study","volume":"326","author":"Huang","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"Shang, C.B., and Porter, P.L. (2007). Flora of China, Science Press."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"148","DOI":"10.1186\/s13020-023-00857-y","article-title":"Panax japonicus CA Meyer: A comprehensive review on botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and authentication","volume":"18","author":"Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Chin. Med."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"796","DOI":"10.1021\/np100851s","article-title":"Bioactive constituents from the roots of Panax japonicus var. major and development of a LC-MS\/MS method for distinguishing between natural and artifactual compounds","volume":"74","author":"Chan","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Nat. Prod."},{"key":"ref_13","first-page":"17","article-title":"Extract of phenolics from pomegranate peels","volume":"5","author":"Wang","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"214275","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ccr.2021.214275","article-title":"Chemical implications and considerations on techniques used to assess the in vitro antioxidant activity of coordination compounds","volume":"451","author":"Marchi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Coord. Chem. Rev."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"691","DOI":"10.1080\/13880200601009149","article-title":"Antioxidant Potential of an Extract of Calendula officinalis. Flowers in Vitro. and in Vivo","volume":"44","author":"Preethi","year":"2006","journal-title":"Pharm. Biol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"286","DOI":"10.22159\/ajpcr.2017.v10i10.20287","article-title":"Potential antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of areca nut (Areca catechu Linn.) extract in human oral squamous cell carcinoma and keratinocyte cells","volume":"10","author":"Sari","year":"2017","journal-title":"Asian J. Pharm. Clin. Res."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113","DOI":"10.1007\/s11694-014-9171-x","article-title":"Phenolic composition and comparison of antioxidant activity of alcoholic extracts of peppermint (Mentha piperita)","volume":"8","author":"Farnad","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Food Meas. Charact."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10507","DOI":"10.1021\/jf4037547","article-title":"Qualitative and quantitative analysis of phenolics in Tetrastigma hemsleyanum and their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities","volume":"61","author":"Sun","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"42","article-title":"Description of triglyceride levels in obese patients in the working area of dr. mm dunda limboto hospital","volume":"3","author":"Daulima","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Health Technol. Sci."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"172922","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejphar.2020.172922","article-title":"Natural alkaloid and polyphenol compounds targeting lipid metabolism: Treatment implications in metabolic diseases","volume":"870","author":"Cheng","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eur. J. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.2147\/DMSO.S281186","article-title":"Adipogenesis as a potential anti-obesity target: A review of pharmacological treatment and natural products","volume":"14","author":"Jakab","year":"2021","journal-title":"Diabetes Metab. Syndr. Obes."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1152","DOI":"10.1080\/13813455.2021.1908366","article-title":"Anti-adipogenic and lipid-lowering activity of piperine and epigallocatechin gallate in 3T3-L1 adipocytes","volume":"129","author":"Oruganti","year":"2023","journal-title":"Arch. Physiol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alalaiwe, A., Fang, J.Y., Lee, H.J., Chiu, C.H., and Hsu, C.Y. (2021). The demethoxy derivatives of curcumin exhibit greater differentiation suppression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes than curcumin: A mechanistic study of adipogenesis and molecular docking. Biomolecules, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/biom11071025"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1108","DOI":"10.1038\/s41366-023-01365-7","article-title":"Anti-obesity effects of chlorogenic acid and caffeine-lipid nanoparticles through PPAR-\u03b3\/C\/EBP-\u0251 pathways","volume":"47","author":"Uner","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. J. Obes."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"646","DOI":"10.1016\/j.metabol.2016.01.009","article-title":"Cascade regulation of PPAR\u03b3(2) and C\/EBP\u03b1 signaling pathways by celastrol impairs adipocyte differentiation and stimulates lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes","volume":"65","author":"Choi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Metabolism"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"611","DOI":"10.1016\/S1097-2765(00)80211-7","article-title":"PPAR\u03b3 is required for the differentiation of adipose tissue in vivo and in vitro","volume":"4","author":"Rosen","year":"1999","journal-title":"Mol. Cell"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"755","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.R114.619957","article-title":"Transcriptional regulation of adipocyte differentiation: A central role for CCAAT\/enhancer-binding protein (C\/EBP) \u03b2","volume":"290","author":"Guo","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Biol. Chem."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Han, H.S., Soundharrajan, I., Valan Arasu, M., Kim, D., and Choi, K.C. (2023). Leuconostoc citreum inhibits adipogenesis and lipogenesis by inhibiting p38 MAPK\/Erk 44\/42 and stimulating AMPK\u03b1 signaling pathways. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 24.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms24087367"},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"15","article-title":"Isolation and characterization of catechin and catechin-3-o-gallate from the bark of vitellaria paradoxa (sapotaceae)","volume":"1","author":"Maiyama","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cavendish Int. J. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134672","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2022.134672","article-title":"Characterization of the synergistic inhibitory effect of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and catechin on pancreatic lipase","volume":"404","author":"Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1001","DOI":"10.1039\/b802662a","article-title":"Dietary phenolics: Chemistry, bioavailability and effects on health","volume":"26","author":"Crozier","year":"2009","journal-title":"Nat. Prod. Rep."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"771","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0035-1546173","article-title":"Polyphenolic compounds as pancreatic lipase inhibitors","volume":"81","author":"Buchholz","year":"2015","journal-title":"Planta Med."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhou, J.F., Wang, W.J., Yin, Z.P., Zheng, G.D., Chen, J.G., Li, J.E., and Zhang, Q.F. (2021). Quercetin is a promising pancreatic lipase inhibitor in reducing fat absorption in vivo. Food Biosci., 43.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fbio.2021.101248"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104041","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jff.2020.104041","article-title":"Kaempferol inhibits the activity of pancreatic lipase and its synergistic effect with orlistat","volume":"72","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Funct. Foods."},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"226","article-title":"Inhibitive property of catechin and chlorogenic acid against human pancreatic lipase: Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation investigations","volume":"5","author":"Ahmed","year":"2022","journal-title":"Adv. J. Chem. A"},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"47","article-title":"Chemical constituents from the flowers of Bauhinia variegata var. candida and its pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity","volume":"35","author":"Peng","year":"2023","journal-title":"Chin. J. Nat. Prod. Res. Dev."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100424","DOI":"10.1016\/j.crfs.2022.100424","article-title":"Structure-activity relationship of dietary flavonoids on pancreatic lipase","volume":"6","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. Res. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"He, X., Chen, L., Pu, Y., Wang, H., Cao, J., and Jiang, W. (2023). Fruit and vegetable polyphenols as natural bioactive inhibitors of pancreatic lipase and cholesterol esterase: Inhibition mechanisms, polyphenol influences, application challenges. Food Biosci., 55.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fbio.2023.103054"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"500","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lwt.2011.11.017","article-title":"Assessment of Indigo (Polygonum tinctorium Ait.) water extracts\u2019 bioactive compounds, and their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities","volume":"46","author":"Kim","year":"2012","journal-title":"LWT-Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"144","DOI":"10.5344\/ajev.1965.16.3.144","article-title":"Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic-phosphotungstic acid reagents","volume":"16","author":"Singleton","year":"1965","journal-title":"Am. J. Enol. Viticult."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2006.10.066","article-title":"Antioxidant and free radical scavenging potential of Achillea santolina extracts","volume":"104","author":"Ardestani","year":"2007","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_42","first-page":"307","article-title":"Studies on products of browning reactions: Antioxidative activities of products of browning reaction prepared from glucosamine","volume":"44","author":"Oyaizu","year":"1986","journal-title":"J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1457","DOI":"10.1016\/j.procbio.2014.06.002","article-title":"Pancreatic \u03b1-amylase and lipase inhibitory activity of polyphenolic compounds present in the extract of black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.)","volume":"49","author":"Worsztynowicz","year":"2014","journal-title":"Process Biochem."},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"658","DOI":"10.1021\/ja01318a036","article-title":"The determination of enzyme dissociation constants","volume":"56","author":"Lineweaver","year":"1934","journal-title":"J. Am. Chem. Soc."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fct.2016.01.023","article-title":"Anti-obesity effects of seaweeds of Jeju island on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and obese mice fed a high-fat diet","volume":"90","author":"Kang","year":"2016","journal-title":"Food Chem. Toxicol."}],"container-title":["Plants"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2223-7747\/14\/13\/2003\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T18:01:41Z","timestamp":1760032901000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2223-7747\/14\/13\/2003"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"13","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]}},"alternative-id":["plants14132003"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/plants14132003","relation":{},"ISSN":["2223-7747"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2223-7747","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]}}}