Exploring the Potential of Tsuruazuki Bean as a Functional Food to Curb Obesity Using Human Amniotic Epithelial Cells and 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes

Abstract

Obesity is a global health burden and a major risk factor for various chronic diseases. Recent research has focused on bioactive food components for obesity prevention due to their ability to modulate metabolism and inhibit fat accumulation. This study evaluated the anti-obesity potential of Vigna umbellata (Tsuruazuki) through whole-transcriptomic and functional analyses. We first examined the differentiation direction induced by Tsuruazuki bean extract (Tsuru) in human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs), a stem cell-based functional prediction model. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that Tsuru modulated gene expression patterns associated with adipogenic differentiation, metabolic regulation, and inflammation. Subsequent validation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes demonstrated that Tsuru treatment significantly reduced lipid accumulation and droplet size. Transcriptomic profiling indicated significant enrichment of pathways, including PPAR signaling, insulin signaling, and oxidative phosphorylation. Moreover, key adipogenic genes (Pparg, Cebpa, and Fasn) were downregulated, while Prkaa2, a key regulator of lipid metabolism and insulin signaling, was upregulated. The proinflammatory marker Il12b was also downregulated. These findings suggest that Tsuruazuki may beneficially modulate lipid metabolism and represent a promising functional food candidate for obesity management.