Natural compounds magnolol and dicoumarol enhance adipogenesis for future food applications

Abstract

Edible adipose tissue can enhance the sensory and nutritional qualities of cultivated and plant-based meats, yet efficient adipogenic differentiation remains a major bottleneck and synthetic PPAR{gamma} agonists are not approved for use in food production. Here, we report a natural compound screen in 3T3-L1 adipocytes that identifies magnolol and dicoumarol as enhancers of adipogenesis; this combination also robustly promotes lipid accumulation in primary porcine dedifferentiated fat cells and ovine preadipocytes. Transcriptomic analyses show that magnolol and dicoumarol induce adipogenesis in murine and porcine cell systems through canonical adipogenic pathways with a narrower transcriptional footprint than the potent PPAR{gamma} agonist rosiglitazone. These findings support the potential of naturally occurring compounds magnolol and dicoumarol as enhancers of adipogenesis for both mechanistic studies and food-relevant applications. More broadly, our findings establish a generalizable screening framework and identify small-molecule combinations that accelerate adipose tissue engineering across murine, porcine, and ovine culture systems.