Adipogenesis assay kit

• Provides optimized reagents for adipocyte differentiation and subsequent colorimetric lipid oil detection
• Contains enhancer solution for the optimal induction of adipogenesis
• For drug-screening and testing agonists/antagonists of adipogenesis

The Adipogenesis Assay Kit provides all the reagents needed to induce and detect adipogenesis. Optimized Differentiation, Insulin, and Enhancer solutions ensure maximal adipocyte induction. The Adipogenesis Dye allows for visual confirmation of differentiation and can also be easily extracted allowing measurement using a spectrophotometer or microplate reader. 

The ability to regulate the cell cycle and differentiation of adipocytes are key in the development and physiology of obesity. One of the most utilized models for the study of differentiation of fibroblast into adipocytes is the 3T3-L1 cell line. Differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells into adipocytes requires three primary components: insulin or insulin-like growth factor, dexamethasone (DXM), and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX).  In addition, rosiglitazone, a thiazolidinedione that binds to PPARγ and sensitizes fat cells to insulin, enhances adipogenesis.

During the differentiation process, 3T3-L1 cells undergo a post-confluent mitosis, which occurs 24 hours after induction with insulin, DXM, and IBMX, followed by growth arrest. After growth arrest occurs, the cells are committed to becoming adipocytes and express late markers of differentiation at day 3, after induction. Growth arrest of the cells is a requirement for terminal adipocyte differentiation. After 5-7 days post-induction, the cell morphology changes from the elongated, fibroblastic cells to rounded cells, and lipid droplets begin to accumulate.