• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.159-166
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• 2017

Through this study, the authors investigated the anti-steatosis effects of the Amomum cardamomum ethyl acetate fraction in free fatty acids (FFAs)-induced human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. The ethyl acetate fraction of Amomum cardamomum (ACEA) was extracted with 70% ethanol and then the extract was evaporated using a rotary evaporator prior to sequential fractionation. Human hepatocellular carcinoma were treated with different concentrations of ACEA in the presence and absence of FFAs. To demonstrate the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activity, DCFDA level was analyzed by using in vitro assay system. Cell viability, lipid accumulation, intracellular triglycerides, malondialdehyde (MDA), liver steatosis related signaling molecules and inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, 8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) were also investigated. As results, ACEA inhibited the FFAs-induced ROS, lipid accumulation, intracellular triglycerides, and MDA in a dose dependent manner. Treatment of human hepatocellular cells with ACEA induced the phosphorylation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT1) expression using western blot analysis. ACEA also potently suppressed the FFAs-induced inflammatory cytokines including IL-6, IL-8 and $TNF-{\alpha}$. These results suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction of Amomum cardamoum extract own inhibitory effects of liver steatosis by inhibiting ROS, lipid accumulation, intracellular triglycerides, MDA through AMPK signaling and anti-inflammatory actions.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.20-28
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. (PF) sprout is a plant of the labiate family. We have previously reported the protective effects of PF sprout extract on cytokine-induced ${\beta}-cell$ damage. However, the mechanism of action of the PF sprout extract in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has not been investigated. The present study was designed to study the effects of PF sprout extract and signaling mechanisms in the T2DM mice model using C57BL/KsJ-db/db (db/db) mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male db/db mice were orally administered PF sprout extract (100, 300, and 1,000 mg/kg of body weight) or rosiglitazone (RGZ, positive drug, 1 mg/kg of body weight) for 4 weeks. Signaling mechanisms were analyzed using liver tissues and HepG2 cells. RESULTS: The PF sprout extract (300 and 1,000 mg/kg) significantly reduced the fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, triglyceride and total cholesterol levels in db/db mice. PF sprout extract also significantly improved glucose intolerance and insulin sensitivity, decreased hepatic gluconeogenic protein expression, and ameliorated histological alterations of the pancreas and liver. Levels of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) protein expression also increased in the liver after treatment with the extract. In addition, an increase in the phosphorylation of AMPK and decrease in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose 6-phosphatase proteins in HepG2 cells were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results sugges that PF sprout displays beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes via modulation of the AMPK pathway and inhibition of gluconeogenesis in the liver.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.369-375
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• 2010

This study evaluated the protective effects of ginseng leaf extract (GLE) against high fat-diet-induced hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, and explored the potential mechanism underlying these effects in C57BL/6J mice. The mice were randomly divided into four groups: normal control, high fat diet control (HFD), GLE-treated at 250 mg/kg, and GLE-treated at 500 mg/kg. To induce hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic states, mice were fed a high fat diet for 6 weeks and then administered GLE once daily for 8 weeks. At the end of the treatment, we examined the effects of GLE on plasma glucose, lipid levels, and the expression of genes related to lipogenesis, lipolysis, and gluconeogenesis. Both GLE groups lowered levels of plasma glucose, insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and non-esterified fatty acids when compared to those in HFD group. Histological analysis revealed significantly fewer lipid droplets in the livers of GLE-treated mice compared with HFD mice. To elucidate the mechanism, Western blots and RT-PCR were performed using liver tissue. Compared with HFD mice, GLE-treated mice showed higher levels of phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its substrate, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, but no differences in the expression of lipogenic genes such as sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1a, fatty acid synthase, sterol-CoA desaturase 1 and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase. However, the expression levels of lipolysis and fatty acid uptake genes such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-$\alpha$ and CD36 were increased. In addition, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene expression was decreased. These results suggest that GLE ameliorates hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia by inhibiting gluconeogenesis and stimulating lipolysis, respectively, via AMPK activation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.3-10
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Oligonol, mainly found in lychee fruit, is an antioxidant polyphenolic compound which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. The detailed mechanisms by which oligonol may act as an anti-aging molecule have not been determined. MATERIALS/METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the ability of oligonol to modulate sirtuin (SIRT) expression in human lung epithelial (A549) cells. Oligonol was added to A549 cells and reactive oxygen species production, mitochondrial superoxide formation, and p21 protein levels were measured. Signaling pathways activated upon oligonol treatment were also determined by western blotting. Furthermore, the anti-aging effect of oligonol was evaluated ex vivo in mouse splenocytes and in vivo in Caenorhabditis elegans. RESULTS: Oligonol specifically induced the expression of SIRT1, whose activity is linked to gene expression, metabolic control, and healthy aging. In response to influenza virus infection of A549 cells, oligonol treatment significantly up-regulated SIRT1 expression and down-regulated viral hemagglutinin expression. Oligonol treatment also resulted in the activation of autophagy pathways and the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Furthermore, oligonol-treated spleen lymphocytes from old mice showed increased cell proliferation, and mRNA levels of SIRT1 in the lungs of old mice were significantly lower than those in the lungs of young mice. Additionally, in vivo lethality assay revealed that oligonol extended the lifespan of C. elegans infected with lethal Vibrio cholerae. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrated that oligonol may act as an anti-aging molecule by modulating SIRT1/autophagy/AMPK pathways.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제29권6호
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• pp.650-657
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• 2021

Metformin is an anti-diabetic drug and has anticancer effects on various cancers. Several studies have suggested that metformin reduces cell proliferation and stimulates cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, the definitive molecular mechanism of metformin in the pathophysiological signaling in endometrial tumorigenesis and metastasis is not clearly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of metformin on the cell viability and apoptosis of human cervical HeLa and endometrial HEC-1-A and KLE cancer cells. Metformin suppressed cell growth in a dose-dependent manner and dramatically evoked apoptosis in HeLa cervical cancer cells, while apoptotic cell death and growth inhibition were not observed in endometrial (HEC-1-A, KLE) cell lines. Accordingly, the p27 and p21 promoter activities were enhanced while Bcl-2 and IL-6 activities were significantly reduced by metformin treatment. Metformin diminished the phosphorylation of mTOR, p70S6K and 4E-BP1 by accelerating adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) in HeLa cancer cells, but it did not affect other cell lines. To determine why the anti-proliferative effects are observed only in HeLa cells, we examined the expression level of liver kinase B1 (LKB1) since metformin and LKB1 share the same signalling system, and we found that the LKB1 gene is not expressed only in HeLa cancer cells. Consistently, the overexpression of LKB1 in HeLa cancer cells prevented metformin-triggered apoptosis while LKB1 knockdown significantly increased apoptosis in HEC-1-A and KLE cancer cells. Taken together, these findings indicate an underlying biological/physiological molecular function specifically for metformin-triggered apoptosis dependent on the presence of the LKB1 gene in tumorigenesis.

• 한국자원식물학회지
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.26-31
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• 2023

간세포 내 LXRα활성화는 전사조절인자인 SREBP-1c의 발현을 증가시키고, 발현된 SREBP-1c는 핵내로 이동하여 지질형성 관련 유전자인 FAS, ACC, SCD-1 등의 프로모토에 결합하여 FAS, ACC, SCD-1을 유도하여 중성지질의 합성을 활성화시켜 비알코올성 지방간을 초래한다. 그러나 산양삼은 LKB1 그리고 연속적으로 AMPK의 활성화을 유도하여 SREBP-1c의 발현 억제를 통해 FAS, ACC, SCD-1의 발현을 감소시켜 간세포 내 지질 및 중성지질의 축적을 억제하는 것으로 판단된다. 본 결과를 미루어 볼 때, 산양삼은 비알코올성 지방간을 예방하기 위한 건강기능성 식품소재로 개발로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.1043-1055
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The fruit of Cydonia oblonga Miller (COM) is used traditionally in Mediterranean region medicine to prevent or treat obesity, but its mechanism of action is still unclear. Beyond a demonstrated anti-obesity effect, the fruit was tested for the mechanism of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were cultured for 8 days with COM fruit extract (COME) at different concentrations (0-600 ㎍/mL) with adipocyte differentiation medium. The cell viability was measured using an MTT assay; triglyceride (TG) was stained with Oil Red O. The expression levels of the adipogenesis-related genes and protein expression were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: COME inhibited intracellular TG accumulation during adipogenesis. A COME treatment in 3T3-L1 cells induced upregulation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)α phosphorylation and downregulation of the adipogenic transcription factors, such as sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α. The COME treatment reduced the mRNA expression of fatty acyl synthetase, adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase, adipocyte protein 2, and lipoprotein lipase. It increased the mRNA expression of hormone-sensitive lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I in 3T3-L1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: COME inhibits adipogenesis via the AMPK signaling pathways. COME may be used to prevent and treat obesity.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.525-533
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• 2015

본 연구는 녹차씨 압착박의 활용성을 증가해 보고자 녹차씨를 압착한 후 남은 박을 추출하여 총 페놀, 조사포닌, 카테킨, 나린게닌 함량을 확인하고 3T3-L1 세포에서의 지방세포분화 억제 관련 효과를 확인하였다. 또한 기존에 체지방 감소 효능이 있는 것으로 알려진 녹차와도 비교하였다. 녹차씨 압착박 추출물과 녹차 추출물의 페놀, 조사포닌, 카테킨, 나린게닌 함량을 비교한 결과 녹차씨 압착박 추출물에서 나린게닌 함량이 높음을 알 수 있었다. 3T3-L1 세포에서 Oil Red O 염색법을 이용한 지방 축적저해 정도 및 세포내 중성지방 함량을 측정한 결과, 녹차씨 압착박 추출물에서 지방 축적저해 및 중성지방의 함량이 감소하는 것을 확인하였다. 녹차씨 압착박이 지방합성 및 에너지 조절 효소에 미치는 영향을 알아보기 위해 단백질 발현 실험을 실시한 결과, 녹차 또는 녹차씨 압착박 추출물에 의해서 AMPK 및 ACC의 인산화 증가 및 FAS의 발현이 감소하는 것을 확인 할 수 있었으며, 이러한 효능은 녹차 추출물보다 녹차씨 압착박 추출물에서 더 강하게 나타나는 것을 알 수 있었다. 이상의 결과로부터 녹차씨 압착박 추출물이 녹차 추출물 보다 지방세포분화 억제 효과가 높게 나타나는 것이 확인되어져, 녹차씨는 추후 체지방 감소 효능을 갖는 식품 소재로도 활용이 가능 할 것으로 생각되어진다.

• 식품과학과 산업
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• 제53권4호
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• pp.390-396
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• 2020

In vitro 및 동물시험 결과를 통해, 국내 천연 해양자원인 우뭇가사리 추출물의 체지방 감소 기능에 대해 살펴본 결과, 우뭇가사리 추출물이 고지방 식이 동물시험에서 체중 및 체지방 증가 억제 기능이 있음을 확인하였다. 우뭇가사리 추출물은 C/EBPα, β, SREPB-1, PPARγ 등 지방세포 분화 촉진 인자들의 발현을 억제하였고, 지방세포 분화 억제 조절 인자로 알려진 CHOP10의 발현은 촉진시켰다. 또한, 우뭇가사리 추출물은 AGTL의 발현을 촉진함으로써 지방분해 촉진 효과를 나타내었고, 중성지방의 합성 과정에 관여하는 LPAATθ, Lipin1, DGAT1 및 FAS의 발현을 억제하였으며, 지방 및 에너지 대사의 주요 조절 인자인 AMPK phosphorylation, PRDM16 및 UCP-1의 발현을 촉진하였다. 따라서 우뭇가사리 추출물은 체내 지방 대사에 있어서, 지방 합성 및 지방세포 분화를 억제하고, 지방분해 및 에너지 대사를 촉진하는 작용기전으로 체지방 감소 기능을 갖는 것으로 사료된다. 이러한 결과로 볼 때, 국내 천연 해양 자원인 우뭇가사리 추출물은 체내 지방 대사에 있어서 다양한 작용기전을 통해 우수한 체지방 감소 기능을 나타내고 있어 체지방 감소 건강기능식품 분야에서 유용한 신소재로 이용될 수 있을 것으로 생각된다. 나아가 본 연구진은 동물 시험에서 우뭇가사리 추출물의 혈당 조절 및 인슐린 저항성 개선 효과도 확인한 바 있어 대사증후군의 근본 원인인 복부 지방 및 인슐린 저항성 개선 효과를 모두 기대할 수 있는 소재로서의 가능성이 확인되었다. 추후 지질 및 당 대사에 관련된 작용기전 및 생체 지표의 상호 연관성, 인체에서의 혈당 개선 및 대사증후군 개선 효과 확인 등 추가 연구가 필요할 것으로 사료된다. 이를 통해 체지방 감소는 물론, 대사증후군 감소를 위한 건강기능식품 및 당뇨병 환자식 등의 분야에서 유용하게 이용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.155-163
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• 2017

상엽은 뽕나무 잎을 건조한 약재로서 항염증, 항당뇨, 미백, 항산화, 항박테리아, 항알러지 및 면역조절 등과 같은 여러 가지 약리작용을 하는 것으로 알려져 있으나 항비만 효능에 대한 연구는 부족한 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 상엽 에탄올 추출물(ethanol extracts of Mori Folium, EEMF)이 유발하는 항비만 효능을 확인하기 위하여 3T3-L1 지방전구세포가 지방세포로 분화되는 과정에서 EEMF가 어떠한 영향을 미치는 지를 조사하였다. 3T3-L1 지방전구세포의 분화유도 시 EEMF를 처리하였을 경우 지방세포의 특징인 지방방울의 수 및 지방함량이 농도의 존적으로 감소하였으며, triglyceride의 생성도 억제되는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 EEMF는 pro-adipogenic transcription factors인 SREBP-1c, $PPAR{\gamma}$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$ 및 $C/EBP{\beta}$ 의 발현억제와 함께 adipocyte-specific genes인 aP2 및 Leptin의 발현억제도 유발하는 것으로 조사되었다. 특히 EEMF는 AMPK 및 ACC의 인산화를 억제하는 것으로 나타났지만 AMPK 억제제인 compound C를 이용하여 AMPK의 활성을 억제하였을 경우 EEMF에 의하여 유발되는 pro-adipogenic transcription factors 및 adipocyte-specific genes의 억제현상이 회복되었다. 이상의 결과에서 EEMF가 유발하는 adipogenesis의 억제는 AMPK signaling pathway의 활성화를 통하여 유발된다는 것을 알 수 있었으며, 추가적인 연구를 통하여 상엽에 함유되어 있는 유효성분에 대한 분석이 필요할 것으로 생각된다.