Pomegranate: High Binding Affinity for PPARγ, a Drug Target for Diabetes Type 2, and Lipid Remodelling in Adipocytes

Cellular free fatty acids are toxic for cells, which also contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. Cells handle so-called lipotoxicity resulting by an excess of free fatty acids via triglyceride accumulation [1]. This happens not only in adipocytes, but in all cells; the amount and size of lipid droplets in adipocytes is much bigger, as these cells are meant to function as lipid storage of the organism. Meanwhile is the triglyceride accumulation in non-adipose tissue a consequence of an acute free fatty acid excess and represents a defence mechanism against lipotoxicity. The results from Paar et al.[2] which show a de novo synthesis of micro Lipid Droplets (mLDs) during lipolysis, implicate that mLD formation could not only pose as facilitation of lipolysis by increasing the working surface for lipases, but protects also cells from lipotoxicity by relocation of free fatty acids into lipid droplets. The formation of mLDs is linked with the ability of the cell to re-esterify fatty acids. When this is blocked, mLDs cannot be generated [3]. mLDs are active sites of lipolysis [3] and compounds that promote the formation of mLDs are potential drugs for the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome.