• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2013

Carthamus tinctorius L. and Eucommia umoides Oliver are often used in traditional herbal medicines for reducing damage to the liver, kidney, bone and muscle. In the present study, we investigated cell viability and alkaline phosphatase activity in the human osteoblast-like MG-63 cell line with methanol extracts of Carthami Semen (CS) and Eucommiae Cortex (EC) alone or in a mixture (CS+EC). Osteoblast cell viability was evaluated using the MTS assay and alkaline phosphatase activity assays. The cell viability and alkaline phosphatase activity significantly increased in MG-63 osteoblast cells treated with the CS+EC mixture. These findings suggest the CS+EC mixture may have beneficial effects on bone health through the proliferation of osteoblast cells.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.604-609
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• 2016

In postmenopausal women, estrogen deficiency can be associated with metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to lipid, glucose and antioxidnat metabolism. Sprague-Dawley female rats were subjected to either bilateral ovariectomy or sham operation and randomly divided into 3 dietary groups, (n=8) sham-operated fed with normal diet (SHAM), ovariectomized fed with normal diet (OVX), and ovariectomized fed with normal diet supplemented with Eucommia ulmoides extract (OVX-EU). The OVX-EU group showed significantly lower body weight, triacylglycerol, and total cholesterol than that showed by the OVX group. In addition, the OVX-EU group showed improved lipogenesis, glucose-regulating enzyme activities, adipokine and antioxidant enzyme activities. These findings demonstrate that extracts from E. ulmoides extract can be used as a functional food.