• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.209-220
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• 2014

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key factor involved in the induction of angiogenesis and has become an attractive target for anti-angiogenesis therapies. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the anti-angiogenic activity of Rubus coreanus Miquel water extract (RCME). Rubus coreanus Miquel has long been employed as a traditional medicine, and recent studies have demonstrated that it has measureable biological activities. Thus, we investigated for the first time the effect of RCME on angiogenesis and its underlying signaling pathways. The effects of RCME were tested on in vitro models of angiogenesis, namely, proliferation, migration, invasion and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells as well as an ex vivo model of vessel sprouting from the rat aorta in response to VEGF. We observed that VEGF-induced angiogenesis was strongly suppressed by RCME treatment compared to that of the control group. Moreover, we found that RCME inhibited VEGF-induced activation of matrix metalloproteinases and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and p38, and also effectively inhibited phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2. These results indicated that RCME inhibits angiogenesis by suppressing phosphorylation of the VEGF receptor and may be useful for the treatment of angiogenesis-dependent diseases such as cancer and diabetic retinopathy.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.184-188
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• 2007

The major goal in the treatment of diabetes mellitus is to achieve near-normal glycemic control. To optimize both fasting blood glucose and postprandial glucose levels is important in keeping blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. ${\alpha}-Glucosidase$ is the enzyme that digests dietary carbohydrate, and inhibition of this enzyme could suppress postprandial hyperglycemia. The purpose of this study was to test the inhibitory activity of methanol extract of Euonymus alatus on ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ in vitro and in vivo to evaluate its possible use as an anti-diabetic agent. Yeast ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ inhibitory activities of methanol extract of E. alatus were measured at concentrations of 0.50, 0.25, 0.10, and 0.05 mg/ml. The ability of E. alatus to lower postprandial glucose was studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. A starch solution (1 g/kg) with and without E. alatus extract (500 mg/kg) was administered to diabetic rats by gastric intubation after an overnight fast. Plasma glucose levels were measured at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 min. Plasma glucose levels were expressed in increments from baseline, and incremental areas under the response curve were calculated. Extract of E. alatus, which had an $IC_{50}$ value of 0.272 mg/ml, inhibited yeast ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ activity in a concentration-dependent manner. A single oral dose of E. alatus extract significantly inhibited increases in blood glucose levels at 60 and 90 min (p<0.05) and significantly decreased incremental response areas under the glycemic response curve (p<0.05). These results suggest that E. alatus has an antihyperglycemic effect by inhibiting ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ activity in this animal model of diabetes mellitus.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.549-557
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• 2005

Effects of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (AS) on blood sugar content and serum lipid profiles of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were investigated. Experimental groups were classified into four groups, that is, normal control (NC) group, diabetic mellitus (DM) group, AS-fed group and DMAS-fed group. The AS group showed lower feed efficiency than the NC group, but the efficiency of DMAS group was higher than DM group. DMAS group showed the decreased water intake and urine by $45.5\%$ and $23.7\%$ respectively, compared with DM group. Compared with DM group, DMAS group decreased blood sugar by $46.9\%$ and triglyceride by $17.8\%$, total cholesterol by $10.0\%$ and LDL cholesterol by $22.0\%$ in serum, but increased serum HDL cholesterol by $14.4\%$ The relative percentage of liver or kidney per body weight, and the serum ALT activity in DMAS group were lower than those of DM group. There were no significant differences in hepatic glutathione(GSH) contents and total xanthine oxidase(XOD) activities among experimental groups. The hepatic lipid peroxide(LPO) content in DMAS group decreased by $54.6\%$ compared with that in DM group. The XOD (O type) and the ratio of O type to total type of both STZ-treated groups (DM and DMAS) were higher than those of NC group, but less conversion of D to O type was observed in DMAS group than in DM group. There was no significant difference in GST activity between NC and AS, but STZ-treated groups showed lower glutathione S-transferase(GST) activity than NC. In conclusion, it seems that AS reduces blood sugar by inhibiting the activity of xanthine oxidase type O as an oxygen-free radical generating system which induces the tissue damage. Antidiabetic effect of AS may regulate diabetes-induced high lipid profiles in blood.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.324-330
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• 2015

In this study, the anti-diabetic activity of a cold water extract of Korean mistletoe (KME) was investigated in C57BL/6J Lep ob (ob/ob) mice. Oral administration of KME (50 or 100 mg/kg/d) significantly inhibited the level of blood glucose of ob/ob mice after 5 days from the beginning of KME treatment. And the anti-diabetic effect of KME was stabilized 10 days after oral administration, showing a substantial reduction of blood glucose levels by more than 20% as compared with control mice. The results of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) revealed that oral administration of KME gave rise to a remarkable improvement in overall glucose response. Oral administration of KME in ob/ob diabetic mice also significantly reduced blood total cholesterol (TCHO) and triglyceride (TG) levels compared with the diabetic control mice. Moreover, in an in vitro experiment using C2C12 myotubes, treatment of KME prominently increased glucose uptake. Interestingly, KME significantly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-${\alpha}$ ($PGC-1{\alpha}$), a head regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism, and $PGC-1{\alpha}$-associated genes such as glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), estrogen-related receptor-${\alpha}$ ($ERR-{\alpha}$), nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TmfA) in C2C12 cells. These results suggest that KME has potential as a novel therapeutic agent for diabetes, and its anti-diabetic activity may be related to the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.219-224
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• 2014

In order to develop a new anti-diabetic ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitor, we compared the ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity of the cell-free extracts of 48 strains of yeasts isolated from Korean fermented foods, and found that Pichia burtonii Y257-7 exhibited the highest ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 55.6%. The ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitor was maximally produced when Pichia burtonii Y257-7 was cultured in LB broth (initial pH of 6.0) at $28^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. The ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitor, partially purified by Sephadex G-50 gel permeation chromatography and systematic solvents extraction, revealed potent hypoglycemic effects in normal rats and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats after the oral administration of starch.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1090-1095
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• 2014

Anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids, are natural water-soluble pigments, which are mainly found in vegetables and fruits. Anthocyanins have attractive pharmacological activities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effects of anthocyanins-rich fraction (ANF) from Korean purple sweet potato variety, "Shinjami", against hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced oxidative stress. In our results, pre-treatment of HepG2 cells with ANF ($10{\mu}g/mL$) significantly prevented cell death and maintained cell integrity, following exposure to 0.9 mM hydrogen peroxide. The $H_2O_2$-dependent production of intracellular ROS was also significantly decreased by pre-treatment with ANF (6 h, $10{\mu}g/mL$). In addition, ANF increased the mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes, catalase and glutathione level in $H_2O_2$-treated HepG2 cells. These results indicated that ANF protected HepG2 cells against $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative stress by inducing protective system.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2022

Purpose: Quercetin is a polyphenolic flavonoid abundant in many fruits and vegetables. It has potential health-beneficial properties, such as antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the lipid metabolism improvement effect of quercetin affected the regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and microRNA (miR)-21 expression in the liver of mice fed a high-cholesterol diet. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with normal diet, quercetin-free diet and diets containing 0.05% or 0.1% quercetin for six weeks. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by adding 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid to all diets. Serum and liver triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) concentrations were analyzed using a commercial enzymatic colorimetric kit. AMPK activity was quantified using an AMPK kinase assay kit. The levels of miR-21 and genes involved in lipid metabolism were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Supplementation of quercetin reduced serum and hepatic TG and TC levels without changing body weight and food intake. Dietary quercetin significantly inhibited the mRNA levels of hepatic sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1c, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and fatty acid synthesis, which are involved in hepatic lipogenesis. Dietary quercetin enhanced AMPK activity and suppressed miR-21 expression, promoting hepatic lipid accumulation. Conclusion: These results suggest that the lipid-lowering effect of quercetin on the serum and liver of mice may be partially mediated by the regulation of lipogenic gene expression, AMPK activity and miR-21 expression in the liver of mice fed a high-cholesterol diet.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.12
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• pp.1858-1864
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• 2014

In the present investigation, the anti-diabetic potential of 80% ethanol extract of Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves (EEES) was examined based on ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activities. EEES was sequentially fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate (EtAOc), n-butanol, and $H_2O$. Of the various fractions, EtAOc fraction effectively inhibited ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity by 68.05%. Therefore, EtAOc fraction was selected for further isolation and identification studies. EtAOc fraction was separated by medium pressure liquid chromatography with silica and ODS gel to yield eight fractions (EAA~EAH). Based on the results of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity, EAH fraction was re-chromatographed to yielded four more fractions (EAHA~EAHD). Of these, EAHC fraction showed higher ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity of 93.60%. EAHC fraction was re-chromatographed and yielded EAHCA and EAHCB fractions. Further, identification and chemical structures of these two fractions were analyzed using $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR, and mass spectra data. Based on the results of the spectral data, the isolated compounds were identified as hyperoside and isoquercetin. Results of the present study indicate that the isolated compounds, hyperoside, and isoquercetin from leaves of E. senticosus could be used for the development of new anti-diabetic drugs.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2005

This study examined the anti-diabetic effect of a silkworm extract in C57BL/6J mice, an ob/㏈ model, fed a high fat diet for 8 weeks. The body weight was not significantly different with the silkworm-extract supplement, nor did food intake and body weight gains also did not differ significantly among the high-fat diet groups. However, the water intake by the silkworm-extract supplemented groups increased significantly compared with that by the distilled-water supplement group, nonetheless, the FER did not differ significantly. For all groups, the blood glucose increased the most after 30 minutes and yet returned to a fasting level within 90 minutes. The fasting time and resulting glucose tolerance for the silkworm-extract supplemented groups were significantly decreased compared to that for the high fat diet with distilled water supplement group, while the level of blood glucose in silkworm-extract supplemented groups was significantly decreased compared with than in the diabetic control group. The HbA1c and insulin levels were no different among the groups. The sucrase and lactase activities in the proximal small intestine were significantly decreased in the silkworm-extract supplement groups compared to that in the diabetic control group. There was no significant difference in the glycogen contents in the liver and muscle among the groups. In conclusion, it was found that the silkworm-extract supplement repressed the disaccharidase activity in the small intestines mucosa of the C57BL/6J mice.

• Mycobiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2011

Botryosphaeran, a water-soluble exopolysaccharide of the ${\beta}-(1{\rightarrow}3;1{\rightarrow}6)$-D-glucan type that has been isolated from the culture medium of Botryosphaeria rhodina MAMB-05 grown in submerged fermentation using glucose as the sole carbon source, was previously demonstrated to be non-genotoxic in peripheral blood and bone marrow, and exhibited strong anticlastogenic activity. In the present study, the effects of botryosphaeran were investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats as well as in high-fat diet-fed hyperlipidemic Wistar rats. The plasma glucose level was reduced by 52% in the diabetic group of rats after administration of 12 mg botryosphaeran/kg body weight of the rats (b.w.)/day by gavage over 15 days. A reduction in the median ration intake was accompanied by an increase in the median body weight gain, as well as the efficiency of food conversion. These results demonstrate that botryosphaeran has protective effects by reducing the symptoms of cachexia in Diabetes mellitus. Botryosphaeran administered by gavage at a concentration of 12 mg botryosphaeran/kg b.w./day over 15 days also reduced the plasma levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol by 18% and 27%, respectively, in hyperlipidemic rats. Based on these findings, we conclude that botryosphaeran possesses hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic properties in conditions of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia, respectively, and may be used as an oral anti-diabetic agent.