• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.146-150
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone or neuropeptide, is secreted in response to intraluminal nutrients by enteroendocrine I-cells of the intestine and has important physiological actions related to appetite regulation and satiety. The stimulation on CCK secretion from the intestine is of potential relevance for body weight management. Naringenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyflavanone) and its glycoside naringin (naringenin 7-rhamnoglucoside) have been reported to have many biological functions. In the current study, we investigated the question of whether naringenin and naringin could stimulate CCK secretion and then examined the mechanisms involved in CCK release. MATERIALS/METHODS: STC-1 cells were used as a model of enteroendocrine cells. CCK release and changes in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) were measured after incubation of cells with naringenin and naringin for 1 h. RESULTS: Naringenin caused significant (P < 0.05) stimulation of CCK secretion, but naringin did not. In addition, regarding the secretory mechanisms, naringenin-induced CCK secretion involved increases in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$, influx of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$, at least in part, and activation of TRP channels, including TRPA1. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study suggest that naringenin could have a role in appetite regulation and satiety.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2011

Acute ischemic stroke results from sudden decrease or loss of blood supply to an area of the brain, resulting in a coinciding loss of neurological function. The antioxidant action of melatonin is an important mechanism among its known effects to protective activity during ischemic/reperfusion injury. The focus of this research, therapeutic efficacy of melatonin on recovery of neurological function following long term treatment in ischemic brain injured rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=40; 8 weeks old) were divided into the control group, and MCAo groups (Vehicle, MT7 : MCAo+ melatonin injection at 7:00, MT19 : MCAo+melatonin injection at 19:00, and MT7,19 : MCAo+melatonin injection at 7:00 and 19:00). Rat body weight and neurological function were measured every week for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, the rats were anesthetized with a mixture of zoletil (40 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) and sacrificed for further analysis. Tissues were then collected for RNA isolation from brain tissue. Also, brain tissues were analyzed by histological procedures. We elucidated that melatonin was not toxic in vital organs. MT7,19 was the most rapidly got back to mild symptom on test of neurological parameter. Also, exogenous melatonin induces both the down-regulation of detrimental genes, such as NOSs and the up-regulation of beneficial gene, including BDNF during long term administration after focal cerebral ischemia. Melatonin treatment reduced the loss of primary motor cortex. Therefore, we suggest that melatonin could be act as prophylactic as well as therapeutic agent for neurorehabilitative intervention.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.371-379
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• 2009

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays a key role in the regulation of appetite, body weight and metabolism. We undertook the present study to further clarify the regulation of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1, CNR1) in human adipose tissue in obesity. CB1 receptor mRNA expression was ~1.6-fold (p<0.004) and 1.9-fold higher (P<0.05) in subcutaneous adipocytes from obese compared to non-obese subjects in microarray and quantitative real-time PCR studies, respectively. Higher CB1 receptor mRNA expression levels in both adipose tissue (~1.2 fold, P<0.05) and adipocytes (~2 fold, P<0.01) were observed in samples from visceral compared to subcutaneous depots collected from 22 obese individuals. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy demonstrated the presence of CB1 receptor on adipocytes and also adipose tissue macrophages. These data indicate that adipocyte CB1 receptor is up-regulated in human obesity and visceral adipose tissue and also suggest a potential role for the ECS in modulating immune/inflammation as well as fat metabolism in adipose tissue.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.62-75
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• 2016

Objectives: This study examined whether Lycii Radicis Cortex has an inhibitory effect on inflammatory response through an oxidative stress and advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs)-mediated pathway in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic rats. Methods: Lycii Radicis Cortex was orally administered to STZ-induced diabetic rats in doses of 80 or 160 mg/kg body weight/day for 2 weeks, and its effects were compared with those of diabetic control and normal rats. Results: The administration of Lycii Radicis Cortex decreased the elevated serum urea nitrogen and renal reactive oxygen species (ROS), and reduced the increased AGEs in the serum and kidney. The elevated protein expressions of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase subunits in the kidney of diabetic control rats were significantly decreased after Lycii Radicis Cortex treatments. Moreover, the kidney of diabetic rats exhibited the up-regulation of receptor for AGEs (RAGE) and AGEs-related proteins; however, Lycii Radicis Cortex treatment also significantly reduced those expressions (excepted RAGE). In addition, the diabetic rats exhibited an up-regulation of the expression of proteins related to inflammation in the kidney, but Lycii Radicis Cortex administration reduced significantly the expression of the inflammatory proteins through the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) pathways. Conclusions: This study provides scientific evidence that Lycii Radicis Cortex exerts the antidiabetic effect by inhibiting the expressions of AGEs and NF-${\kappa}B$ in the STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.245-255
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• 2021

The spermatozoa become mature in the epididymis which is divided into initial segment and caput, corpus, and cauda epididymis. The water movement across the epididymal epithelium is important for creating luminal microenvironment for sperm maturation. Aquaporins (Aqps) are water channel proteins, and expression of Aqps is regulated by androgens. The current research was focused to examine expressional regulation of Aqp1 and Aqp9 by an androgenic-anabolic steroid, nandrolone decanoate (ND). The ND at the low dose (2 mg/kg body weight/week) or high dose (10 mg) was subcutaneously administrated into male rats for 2 or 12 weeks. Transcript levels of Aqp1 and Aqp9 were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. In the initial segment, level of Aqp1 was decreased with 12 week-treatment, while Aqp9 level was decreased by the high dose treatment for 12 weeks. In the caput epididymis, Aqp9 expression was decreased by the low dose treatment. The 2 week-treatment resulted in an increase of Aqp1 level but a decrease of Aqp9 expression in the corpus epididymis. In the corpus epididymis, the 12 week-treatment at the low dose caused the reduction of Aqp1 and Aqp9 levels, but the high dose treatment resulted in an increase of Aqp1 expression and a decrease of Aqp9 level. In the cauda epididymis, Aqp1 expression was decreased by 2 and 12 week-treatments, while increases of Aqp9 levels was detected with the high dose treatment for 2 weeks and with 12 week-treatment. These findings indicate differential regulation of Aqp1 and Aqp9 expression among epididymal segments by ND.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

Objectives : The root of Peucedanum japonicum Thunberg (Peucedani Japonici Radix; PJR) has been traditionally used as an herbal medicine for the treatment of anti-headache, anti-paralysis, anti-cancer, vascular protection, and blood pressure regulation. In this study, we investigated the anti-allergic effect of PJR water extract on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma in mice. Methods : Mice were sensitized at days 1, 8 and 15 with OVA and airway challenged at days 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 to induced allergic asthma. PJR-W extract at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg/body weight (bw) was orally administered during OVA challenge once per a day. The levels of allergic mediators such as immunoglobulin (Ig) E, and Th1/Th2 cytokines (IFN-${\gamma}$ and IL-4) were measured in the sera of mice by ELISA. The histological change of lung tissue was observed with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Results : The administration of PJR-W extract significantly decreased the serum levels of IgE, IL-4, and IFN-${\gamma}$ compared with those of OVA control group. In H&E staining, PJR-E extract inhibited OVA-induced airway inflammation and the inflammatory cells infiltration in the peribronchial regions of the lung. Conclusions : These results indicate that PJR-W extract has an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect on allergic response through the down-regulation of allergic mediators, suggesting that this herb may be used as a useful source for the treatment of allergic inflammatory diseases such as asthma.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.359-368
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• 2023

This study aims to explore the impact of Krill Oil (KO, Superba^TM Boost) on skin moisturization regulation. The research involved five groups: an intact control, a reference group (L-AA 100 mg/kg), and KO groups (400, 200, and 100 mg/kg), each comprising ten mice. Oral administration was conducted for 8 weeks (56 days), during which changes in body weight, hyaluronan, collagen type 1 (COL1), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), ceramide, and water contents were analyzed in dorsal back skin tissue. Real-time PCR was employed to assess gene expression related to hyaluronic acid synthesis (HAS1, HAS2, HAS3), COL1 synthesis (COL1A1 and COL1A2), and TGF-β1. Results demonstrated that KO administration significantly increased hyaluronan content, hyaluronic acid synthesis (HAS1, HAS2, HAS3), COL1 content, COL1 synthesis (COL1A1 and COL1A2), TGF-β1 content, TGF-β1 mRNA expression, ceramide content, and water content in a concentration-dependent manner compared to the intact control. Importantly, no discernible disparities were noted between the KO and L-AA groups, even though they received equivalent oral dosages. This study accentuates the potential utility of exogenous KO in the regulation of skin moisture, thus positioning it as a promising avenue for the development of nutricosmetics. Future research endeavors should delve into the role of KO in safeguarding against both intrinsic and extrinsic aging-related skin manifestations, as well as its potential to ameliorate skin wrinkles, in conjunction with its moisturizing attributes.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.201-208
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• 2020

This study examined the anti-obesity effect of krill oil (KO) by regulating adipokines in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model. The mice were fed a 60 kcal% HFD for 16 weeks, and KO was then administered at an oral dose of 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg/day for four weeks before the end of the experiment. The administration of KO at concentrations of 200 and 500 mg/kg/day decreased body weight gain significantly compared with the HFD-fed control group. In addition, the HFD-fed control group showed the abnormal release of adipokines by an increase in leptin and decrease in adiponectin, compared to the normal diet-fed normal group. On the other hand, KO (500 mg/kg/day)-administered group attenuated the abnormal release of adipokines by the down-regulation of leptin and the up-regulation of adiponectin. Therefore, KO could be a promising therapeutic agent for obesity by the regulation of adipokines.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1548-1551
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• 2005

The leptin, an anti-obesity protein, is a hormone protein expressed and secreted mainly from adipocyte tissue, and involved in regulation of body weight, food intake and energy metabolism. In an effort to discover polymorphism(s) in genes whose variant(s) might be implicated in phenotypic traits of growth, we have sequenced exons and their boundaries of leptin gene including 1,000 bp upstream of promoter region with twenty-four unrelated Korean cattle. Fifty-seven sequence variants were identified: fourteen in 5' flanking region, twenty-seven in introns, eight in exons, and eight in 3' flanking region. By pair-wise linkage analysis among polymorphisms, ten sets of SNPs were in absolute linkage disequilibrium (LD) (|D'| = 1 and $r^2$ = 1). Among variants identified, thirty-six SNPs were newly identified, and twenty-one SNPs, which were reported in other breeds, were also confirmed in Korean cattle. The allele frequencies of variants were quite different among breeds. The information from SNPs of bovine leptin gene could be useful for further genetic studies of this gene.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.273-283
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• 1998

Single and 4 weeks oral administration of New wonbangwoohwangchungsimwon (NSCH) which was used l-muscone as substitutive material qf musk, to beagle dogs of both sexes were per-formed to investigate both acute and subacute toxicity. Beagle dogs (3 males and 3 females) in acute experiments were administered orally with single dose of 2,000 mg/kg and groups of 9 male and 9 female beagle dogs in subacute experiments were given daily different dosage of NSCH, 160 mg/kg/day (low dosage group), 400 mg/kg/day (middle dosage group), 1,000 mg/kg/day (high dosage group) once a day for 4 weeks by oral route according to the Established Regulation of Korea Food and Drug Ad-ministration (l996. 4. 16). $LD_{50}$ value for beagle dogs was more than 2,000 mg/kg per oral for both male and females. In animals administered with NSCH, there were neither dead animals nor significant changes of body weights. In addition, no differences were found between control and treated groups in clinical sign, urinalysis, eye examination, hematology, serum chemistry, organ weight and other fingings. No histological lesions were observed in both control and treatment groups. Above data strongly suggset that NSCH in beagle dogs is considered to be safe.