Pharmacological inhibition of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) in adipocytes by romidepsin

Background: Expression of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is increased in adipose tissue in obesity. Fat-specific knockdown of NNMT with antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) prevents diet-induced obesity in mice. In cultured adipocytes however, transfection efficiency of ASO is poor. Romidepsin (depsipeptide) is a small molecule that suppresses NNMT expression in cultured thyroid cancer cells, but whose effects on differentiated cultured adipocytes are unknown. Aim: We aimed to determine if romidepsin is suitable for the study of NNMT activity in adipocytes. Methods: Fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes an…