• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2013

Korean red ginseng is known to regulate the immune system and help the body struggle infection and disease. Cadmium is widely distributed in the environment due to its use in industry. Exposure to cadmium is problematic causing organ dysfunction. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of Korean red ginseng extract (RGE) against cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. In experiments, animals were orally administrated with RGE (25, 50 mg/kg) for 7 d and then intravenously injected with cadmium ($CdCl_2$, 4 mg/kg) to induce acute hepatotoxicity. Cadmium caused the elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase in serum. In contrast, pretreatment with RGE significantly reduced those serum indexes related with liver damage. In histopathological analysis, RGE decreased the centrilobular necrosis around central veins and the peripheral hemorrhage around portal triads. Moreover, RGE restored the deficit in hepatic glutathione level resulting from cadmium treatment. RGE also inhibited the increase in the expression of Bad, a representative apoptosis marker protein, induced by cadmium treatment. Collectively, these results demonstrate that RGE can reduce the cadmium-induced hepatic toxicity, partly via anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic process.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.288-293
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• 2010

Lindera erythrocarpa Makino (LE) is widely distributed on Jeju Island, where it has been used for various traditional therapies. Effects of a crude extract of LE were examined in rats with obesity induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Anti-obesity effects were followed in rats receiving orally administered vehicle, 100mg/kg extract, or 250 mg/kg LE extract, for 56 days. LE extract (250 mg/kg) suppressed increases in body weight and epididymal fat, with amelioration of fatty changes in the liver. Additionally, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total cholesterol were significantly decreased compared with those of vehicle-treated groups (p < 0.05). These results suggest that oral administration of LE extract reduced rat obesity induced by HFD, possibly through the reduction of fat accumulation.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.290-296
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• 2005

Effects of water extract obtained from Chrysanthemum boreale M. (CE) on serum enzyme activities and Kupffer cells of carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced rats were investigated. Thirty-two healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into normal (N), $CCl_4$-induced (T), CE-supplemented (C), and $CCl_4$-induced and CE-supplemented (TC) groups. $CCl_4$ injection significantly increased aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase activities in serum. Significant increases in total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were also observed in $CCl_4$-induced rats. Oral administration of CE at 300 mg/kg body weight significantly decreased serum enzyme levels and suppressed $CCl_4$ hepatotoxicity-induced lipid profile changes. Histological findings showed fatty change, fibrosis and increased number of Kupffer cells in T group. Electron microscopic examination showed increased lysosome content and dilation of rough endoplasmic reticulum within Kupffer cells in T group, whereas CE supplement attenuated liver injury in $CCl_4$-induced liver. These results indicated CE could significantly alleviate CC4-induced hepatotoxicity injury.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.141-147
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• 2004

In order to investigate whether or not the alcohol-treated rat liver cells can be protected by Korean Citrus junos and medicinal herbs, We compared the serum biochemistry of rats administered both alcohol and the complex of Korean Citrus junos and medicinal herbs to control rats treated with alcohol alone. The activities of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the citron 3 (Citron 3, less mellowed citron which was ripened for three months)＋Phellinus linteus, Alnus japonica, Dendropanax morbifera and citron 4 (Citron 4, completely mellowed citron which was ripened fer four months)＋Phaseolus radiatus, Cordyceps militaris group were significantly low when compared with the negative control group (p<0.05). The levels of triglyceride (TG) in all experimental groups were significantly lower than the negative control group (p<0.05). The concentrations of total cholesterol in the citron 3＋Phellinus linteus, Atnus japonica, Dendropanax morbifera and citron 4＋Phaseolus radiatus, Cordyceps militaris, Phellinus linteus were lower than the negative control group (p<0.05). The activities of alcohol dehydyogenase (ADH) in all experimental groups were significantly high when compared with the normal control group (p<0.05). These results suggest that the complex of Korean Citrus junos and medecinal herbs could be an excellent candidate for protecting vat liver cell damage induced by alcohol.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.79-83
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• 2010

Herbal hepatotoxicity is a one of the most often encountered controversial issues in medical society. Some believe herbs are totally safe while others regard treatment with herbs as a very common cause of hepatotoxicity. But there are no comparative clinical hepatotoxicity studies between herbal and conventional medicines. We investigated incidence of patients with abnormal liver function who were treated with herbal or conventional medicine at Dongguk University International Hospital. Each group consisted of 300 patients, who were admitted for longer than 30 days during the year 2008. We compared albumin, total bilirubin, AST (aspartate aminotransferase), and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) levels, and excludes patients who had abnormal liver function test or liver-related disease when admitted. As a result, incidence of total bilirubin, AST, and ALT elevation in the CT (conventional treatment) group was more frequent than in the TKM (traditional Korean medicine) group (p<0.05) during admission. Albumin level also decreased more frequently in the CT group than in the TKM group (p<0.05). According to these results, herbal medicine is not more hepatotoxic than conventional medicine, and not a main cause of liver injury in inpatients.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.874-878
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• 2013

Unlike Europe (particularly, Italy and Spain), where a number of studies have been conducted on the stressful effects of transport on rabbit welfare, few studies have been conducted on transportation of rabbits under hot, humid tropical conditions experienced in countries like Malaysia. We studied the effects of transportation in hot humid tropical conditions of Malaysia on physiometabolic changes in New Zealand white rabbits. Eighty experimental animals were divided into two groups of 40 bucks each and transported for either 3 or 1 h. Transportation caused a significant upsurge of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and creatine kinase activities (p<0.001) though did not significantly affect lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity (p = 0.0706). Both transportation periods caused elevation in plasma glucose levels, lactic acidosis and dehydration as evidenced through elevated packed cell volume and plasma protein concentration. It was concluded that regardless of the duration, transport of rabbits under hot humid tropical conditions, resulted in heat distress since the rabbits showed hyperglycemia, hypercalcemia, lactacidemia, lymphocytopenia, dehydration and increase in blood enzyme activities.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.99-102
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• 2001

Toluene is mainly metabolized in liver by oxidative pathway. Oxigen free radicals occur through the process of toluene metabolism Therefore it causes tissue and cell min by the oxygen free radicals from the metabolism of toluene. Melatonin acts as a highly efficient free radical scavenger that protects cells from damage by oxygen free radicals. To test this hypothesis, toluene hepatotoxicity was induced by an abdominal injection of toluene. To see if the melatonin protects the rat's liver, melatonin was administrated orally, at the time of each toluene injection. Aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanin aminotransferase(ALT), latic dehydrogenase(LDH) and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) levels in serum were measured to estimate hepatic function. Malondialdehyde(MDA), which gives an indirect index of oxidative injury was also measured. Hippuric acid is the last metabolic Production of toluene was measured by HPLC. There were significantly higher in AST, ALT, LDH, MDA and hippuric acid in toluene group, but there were no significant difference in melatonin group except ALT and hippuric acid. There was significantly lower in ALP level in toluene group, but there was no significant difference melatonin group, suggesting a significant hepatotoxicity due to oxygen free radicals through the process of toluene metabolism Melatonin treatment significantly protected hepatic function and free radical-mediated injury in the liver against toluene-induced changes. Accordingly, this study shows that melatonin is helpful in protecting liver injury by acute toluene intoxication.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.311-320
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• 2007

The present study was designed to estimate the protective effect of (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on ethanol-induced liver injury in rats. Chronic ethanol administration (6 g/kg/day ${\times}$ 60 days) caused liver damage that was manifested by the elevation of markers of liver dysfunction - aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, bilirubin and ${\gamma}$-glutamyl transferase in plasma and reduction in liver glycogen. The activities of alcohol metabolizing enzymes such as alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase were found to be altered in alcohol-treated group. Ethanol administration resulted in the induction of cytochrome p450 and cytochrome-$b_{5}$ activities and reduction of cytochrome-c reductase and glutathione-S-transferase, a phase II drug metabolizing enzyme. Further, ethanol reduced the viability of isolated hepatocytes (ex vivo) as assessed by trypan blue exclusion test and induced hepatocyte apoptosis as assessed by propidium iodide staining. Treatment of alcoholic rats with EGCG restored the levels of markers of liver injury and mitigated the alterations in alcohol metabolizing and drug metabolizing enzymes and cyt-c-reductase. Increased hepatocyte viability and reduced apoptotic nuclei were observed in alcohol + EGCG-treated rats. These findings suggest that EGCG acts as a hepatoprotective agent against alcoholic liver injury.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.140-149
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• 2016

This study intended to compare the effects of the sugar-Omija extract tea (SO) and LuoHanGuo-Omija extract tea (LO) to blood glucose levels and metabolism among streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice and to prove the positive effects of LuoHanGuo extract as a sugar substitute. According to the results, the rate of blood glucose increase and the blood glucose level was reduced, and the weight was increased. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triglyceride, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol was decreased, and albumin, total protein, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was increased in the STZ/LO group as compared to the STZ group. Compared to the STZ/SO group, the rate of blood glucose increase and glucose tolerance was decreased. AST, ALT, and total cholesterol was decreased, and HDL-C level was high. In conclusion, the LO displayed hypoglycemic effect, prevented weight loss caused by diabetes, recovered liver function, and improved lipid metabolism. In addition, such positive effects were obviously shown during comparison with the experimental group treated with the SO. Therefore, the LO were considered as favorable food supplements that can be safely taken by persons with diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and heart disease; they have to control their sugar intake as well as their diet.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.258-266
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• 2016

Objectives This case study is about a Soeumin patient with jaundice identified as Greater-Yin accompanied Jaundice pattern. In this study, we report significant improvements of anorexia, dyspepsia, fatigue and weight loss after treatment with Hyangsayangyi-tang, Insambaekhaogwanjung-tang and acupuncture.Methods The patient was identified as Greater-Yin accompanied Jaundice pattern and treated with Hyangsayangyi-tang, Insambaekhaogwanjung-tang and acupuncture. The Global Assessment Scale (GAS) was used to assess the improvements of anorexia, dyspepsia, fatigue and pelvic pain after the treatment. And the liver function test was performed to measure the overall function of the liver.Result and Conclusion The symptoms of anorexia, dyspepsia, fatigue and pelvic pain were improved from GAS 100 to GAS 0-10 for four months. And The liver function test showed improved the response to treatment. The levels of AST (aspartate aminotransferase)/ALT (alanine aminotransferase) decreased from 43/42 to 29/14 IU/L. The level of total bilirubin was decreased from 2.7 to 1.9 mg/dL. Furthermore total weight gain was 8 kg from starting weight of 36.5 kg for four months. In conclusion, this study shows that Sasang constitutional medicine can be effective and safe treatment for the Soeumin patient with jaundice.