• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2009

The effect of diet supplemented with red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) leaf on antioxidant status of plasma and tissue was investigated in C57BL/6J mice. The mice were randomly divided into two groups after one-week acclimation, and fed a high fat (20%) and high cholesterol (1%) diet without (control group) or with 8% freeze-dried red beet leaf (RBL group) for 4 weeks. In RBL mice, lipid peroxidation determined as 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS value) was significantly reduced in the plasma and selected organs (liver, heart, and kidney). Levels of antioxidants (glutathione and $\beta$-carotene) and the activities of antioxidant enzyme (glutathione peroxidase) in plasma and liver were considerably increased, suggesting that antioxidant defenses were improved by RBL diet. Comet parameters such as tail DNA (%), tail extent moment, olive tail moment and tail length were significantly reduced by 25.1%, 49.4%, 35.4%, and 23.7%, respectively, in plasma lymphocyte DNA of RBL mice compared with control mice, and indicated the increased resistance of lymphocyte DNA to oxidative damage. In addition, the RBL diet controlled body weight together with a significant reduction of fat pad (retroperitoneal, epididymal, inguinal fat, and total fat). Therefore, the present study suggested that the supplementation of 8% red beet leaf in high fat high cholesterol diet could prevent lipid peroxidation and improve antioxidant defense system in the plasma and tissue of C57BL/6J mice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1115-1118
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• 2012

Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a flavoring compound derived from garlic, is considered to have cancer chemopreventive potential in experimental animals and humans. This study was designated to examine possible chemopreventive effects of DAS on colon carcinogenesis using genetically engineered transgenic $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice, a well-established animal model for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and sporadic colorectal cancer. Male C57BL/6J-$Apc^{Min/+}$ mice were divided into three groups. Animals of group 1 were placed on the basal diet (AIN-76A) as non-treated controls. Animals of groups 2 and 3 were given DAS-containing diets (in doses of 100 and 300 ppm, respectively). All mice were sacrificed at the end of week 10 of the experiment. Histopathological investigation revealed that the incidence of colonic polyps was decreased dose-dependently by 19% (13/16) in group 2 and by 32% (13/20) in group 3 compared to the 100% incidence (10/10) in group 1. The multiplicity of colonic polyps per mouse was also slightly decreased by DAS treatment ($1.88{\pm}0.35$ in group 2 and $1.63{\pm}0.36$ in group 3) compared to $2.00{\pm}0.39$ in group 1. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the numbers of total polyps per mouse in the small intestine between the groups. Taken together, we suggest that DAS may exert promising inhibitory effects on colon carcinogenesis in the transgenic $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.93-104
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• 2004

Objectives : The aim was to identify the inhibitory effects of Liriopis Tuber on bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis by analysing the changes of imflammatory cell cytokines and SHI(Semiquantitative Histological Index), Materials and Methods : In this study fibrosis prone C57BL/6J mice were used. Control group was treated with blomycin(0.06mg/0.1 ml) by IT(intratracheal) instillation which is a popular method of inducing lung fibrosis and sample group took Liriopis Tuber water extract(38.0mg/10g body weight) orally for 14 days after IT instillation of blomycin. We measured the total and differential count of WBC, $IFN-{\gamma}$ & IL-4 in mice BALF and SHI(Semiquantitative Histological Index) from lung tissues of mice. BALF and lung tissues of mice were taken 14 days after IT instillation of blomycin. Results : In sample group total WBC count, proportion of neutrophil, SHI and IL-4 significantly(p<0.05) decreased, proportion of macrophage significantly(p<0.05) increased and proportion of lymphocyte, $IFN-{\gamma}$ did not decrease significantly. Conclusions : This study suggests that Liriopis Tuber has an inhibitory effects of pulmonary fibrosis by attenuation of inflammation and Th2 immune response. To determine whether this herbal medicine contribute to cure and prophylaxis of pulmonary fibrosis, further studies on the role of $IFN-{\gamma}$ relating to fibrosis are required.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.700-704
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• 2008

Anti-obesity effects of $\beta$-cyclodextrin in obese C57BL/6J mice induced by a high fat diet (HD) were observed. The administration of $\beta$-cyclodextrin reduced the gain of body weight, abdominal fat, liver weight, the lipid deposits of hepatocytes and the size of adipocytes in the HD group. In serum analysis, the total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterols were significantly decreased in the $\beta$-cyclodextrin-supplemented HD group than in the HD group. However, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was not changed in these groups. In hypothalamic homogenates, the decrease of neuropeptide Y and increase of $\alpha$-melanocyte stimulating hormone were detected in the $\beta$-cyclodextrin-supplemented HD group compared to that in the HD group. These effects of $\beta$-cyclodextrin were similar to those of Garcinia cambogia, which is widely used as a natural anti-obesity product. These results suggest that $\beta$-cyclodextrin has anti-obesity effects through the lowering of the abdominal fat pad and inhibits the central effects of hunger.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.48-52
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• 2004

DA-11004 is a synthetic, potent NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDPc) inhibitor where $IC_{50}$ for IDPc is 1.49 $\mu$M. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of DA-11004 on the high fat high sucrose (HF)-induced obesity in male C57BL/6J mice. After completing a 8-week period of experimentation, the mice were sacrificed 1hr after the last DA-11004 treatment and their blood, liver, and adipose tissues (epididymal and retroperitoneal fat)were collected. There was a significant difference in the pattern of increasing body weight between the HF control and the DA-11004 group. In the DA-11004 (100 mg/kg) treated group the increase in body weight significantly declined and a content of epididymal fat and retroperitoneal fat was also significantly decreased as opposed to the HF control. DA-11004 (100 mg/kg) inhibited the IDPc activity, and thus, NADPH levels in plasma and the levels of free fatty acid (FFA) or glucose in plasma were less than the levels of the HF control group. In conclusion, DA-11004 inhibited the fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissues via IDPc inhibition, and it decreased the plasma glucose levels and FFA in HF diet-induced obesity of C57BL/6J mice.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2018

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation has been suggested to negatively correlate with obesity in humans and other animals. Previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that a high-fat diet (HFD) induces obesity and related diseases such as hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we investigated the effects of vitamin C on visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in C57BL/6J mice. Mice received a low-fat diet (LFD, 10% kcal fat), HFD (45% kcal fat), or the same HFD supplemented with vitamin C (HFD-VC, 1% w/w) for 15 weeks. Visceral adiposity and glucose intolerance were examined using metabolic measurements, histology, and gene expression analyses. Mice in the HFD-VC supplementation group had reduced body weight, mesenteric fat mass, and mesenteric adipocyte size compared with HFD-fed mice. Vitamin C intake in obese mice also decreased the mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (i.e., stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c) in mesenteric adipose tissues, inhibited hyperglycemia, and improved glucose tolerance. In addition, vitamin C attenuated the HFD-induced increase in the size of pancreatic islets. These results suggest that vitamin C suppresses HFD-induced visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in part by decreasing the visceral adipose expression of genes involved in lipogenesis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2008

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-diabetic effect and mechanism of Korean red ginseng in C57BL/KsJ db/db mice. The db/db mice were divided into three groups: diabetic control group (DC), Korean red ginseng group (KRG, 100 mg/kg) and metformin group (MET, 300 mg/kg), and treated with drugs once per day for 10 weeks. Compared to the DC group, fasting blood glucose levels were decreased by 19.8% in KRG-, 67.7% in MET-treated group. With decreased plasma glucose and insulin levels, the insulin resistance index of the KRG-treated group was reduced by 27.6% compared to the DC group. The HbA1c levels in KRG and MET-treated groups were also decreased by 11.0% and 18.9% compared to that of DC group, respectively. Plasma triglyceride and non-esterified fatty acid levels were decreased by 18.8% and 16.8%, respectively, and plasma adiponectin and leptin levels were increased by 20.6% and 12.1%, respectively, in the KRG-treated group compared to those in DC group. Histological analyses of the liver and fat tissue of mice treated with KRG revealed significantly decreased number of lipid droplets and decreased size of adipocytes compared to the DC group. From the pancreatic islet double-immunofluorescence staining, we observed KRG has increased insulin contents, but decreased glucagon production. To elucidate action mechanism of KRG, effects on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its downstream target proteins responsible for fatty acid oxidation and gluconeogenesis were explored in the liver. KRG activated AMPK and acetyl-coA carboxylase (ACC) phosphorylations, resulting in stimulation of fatty acid oxidation. KRG also caused to down regulation of SREBP1a and its target gene expressions such as FAS, SCD1 and GPAT. In summary, our results suggest that KRG exerted the anti-diabetic effect through AMPK activation in the liver of db/db mice.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.85-85
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• 2002

Pregnancy block by male pheromones in mice differs in incidence depending on the combination of strains. Female mice of BALB/cA strain mated with BALB/cA males show a 100% pregnancy block when exposed to males of inbred strain DDK shortly after copulation (Chung et al., Biol Reprod 1997). In the present study, BALB/cA females mated with the males of other strains (CBA/J, C3H/HeN, C57BL/6Cr, and IXBL) showed higher pregnancy rates (66.6-87.5%) even when they were exposed to DDK males. In the pharmacological induction of pregnancy block with dopamine agonist (Bromocriptine, 4mg/kg BW), BALB/cA females mated with BALB/cA males showed a 100% pregnancy block. In contrast, BALB/cA females mated with CBA/J, C3H/HeN, and C57BL/6Cr males showed higher pregnancy rates (40-70%). These results suggest that the better pregnancy rate of BALB/cA females mated with alien males may be due to the stronger viability of F 1 embryos. This interpretation was confirmed by an embryo transfer experiment in which a higher implantation rate was observed when BALB/cA embryos grown in BALB/cA females exposed to BALB/cA males were transferred into recipient BALB/cA females exposed to DDK males. These results suggest that the embryonic genotype or viability of the embryo is one factor contributing to the occurrence of pregnancy block by male pheromones in mice.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.19-32
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• 1994

가장 효과적인 H-2b 항원에 대한 시험관내 항체 생산 조건을 찾기 위하여 근교계 생쥐인 C57BL/6BySnj의 비장세포를 UV로 불활성학 시킨 후 항원으로 사용하고, A/wySnJ$\times$Sm/J(ASmJF1, hybrid)의 비장세포를 항원 수용자 계통으로 하여 5-7일동안 배양기에서 항체 생산을 유도하였다. 본 실험에서 T 임파구 대식세포와 임파구 분화 촉진 인자인Concanavalin A Lipopolvsaccharide. Pokeweed mitogen 등을 사용하여 20가지 조건으로 실험을 수행하여, 항체 생성 여부는 보체 의존성 세포 장애 실험과 면역 효소법에 의해 조사하였다 그 결과 모든 조건에서 항체생산이 확인되었으며. 가장 좋은 시험관내 항체 생산 조건으로는 T 임파구와 대식세포를 함께 사용하여 면역시킨 것이 가장 효과적이었다. 이 방법을 이용하여 항체 생산을 유도한 후 5일째 면역된 비장세포를 Sp2/0-Ag 14와 세포 융합시켜 H-2b 마우스의 체포 표면 항원에 대한 단일군항체 생산을 시도하였다. 또한 생체내 면역 방법과 비교하기 위해 6주간 C57BL/6BySnJ의 비장세포를 복강내에 주사하여 같은 조건으로 세포융합을 시도하였다. 그 결과 H-2b 세포의 표면 항원에 대한 항체 생산을 하는 세포군은 시험관내 면역 방법에서 3개 생체내 면역 방법에서 4개부 확인되었다.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.46-59
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Aster yomena (Kitam.) Honda (AY) has remarkable bioactivities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and anti-cancer activities. On the other hand, the effects of AY against obesity-induced insulin resistance have not been reported. Therefore, this study examined the potential of AY against obesity-associated insulin resistance in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: An obesity model was established by feeding C57BL/6J mice a 60% HFD for 16 weeks. The C57BL6/When ethyl acetate fraction from AY (EFAY) at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day was administered orally to mice fed a HFD for the last 4 weeks. Normal and control groups were administered water orally. The body weight and fasting blood glucose were measured every week. Dietary intake was measured every other day. After dissection, blood and tissues were collected from the mice. RESULTS: The administration of EFAY reduced body and organ weights significantly compared to HFD-fed control mice. The EFAY-administered groups also improved the serum lipid profile by decreasing the triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein compared to the control group. In addition, EFAY ameliorated the insulin resistance-related metabolic dysfunctions, including the fasting blood glucose and serum insulin level, compared to the HFD-fed control mice. The EFAY inhibited lipid synthesis and insulin resistance by down-regulation of hepatic fatty acid synthase and up-regulation of the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. EFAY also reduced lipid peroxidation in the liver, indicating that EFAY protected hepatic injury induced by obesity. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that EFAY improved obesity-associated insulin resistance by regulating the lipid and glucose metabolism, suggesting that AY could be used as a functional food to prevent obesity and insulin resistance.