• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.342-348
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• 2014

This study was conducted to examine the effects of condensed tannins (CT) from Ficus bengalensis leaves on the feed utilization, milk production and health status of crossbred cows. Eighteen crossbred dairy cows at their second and mid lactation (avg. BW $351.6{\pm}10.6$ kg) were randomly divided into two groups of nine each in a completely randomized block design and fed two iso-nitrogenous supplements formulated to contain 0% and 1.5% CT through dried and ground leaves of Ficus bengalensis. The diets were designated as CON and FBLM, respectively and fed to cows with a basal diet of rice straw to meet requirements for maintenance and milk production. The daily milk yield was significantly (p<0.05) increased due to supplementation of FBLM diet. The 4% fat corrected milk yield was also significantly (p<0.01) higher due to increased (p<0.05) milk fat in cows under diet FBLM as compared to CON. The inclusion of CT at 1.5% in the supplement did not interfere with the feed intake or digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, NDF, and ADF by lactating cows. Digestible crude protein (DCP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) values of the composite diets were comparable between the groups. The blood biochemical parameters remained unaltered except significantly (p<0.05) lowered serum urea concentration in cows fed FBLM diet. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in cows supplemented with condensed tannins. The total thiol group (T-SH) was found to be higher with reduction in lipid peroxidation (LPO) in cows of FBLM group. The cost of feeding per kg milk production was also reduced due to supplementation of Ficus bengalensis leaves. Therefore, a perceptible positive impact was evident on milk production and antioxidant status in crossbred cows during mid-lactation given supplement containing 1.5% CT through Ficus bengalensis leaves.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.838-844
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• 2008

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementing a fat diet with selenium (Se) and vitamin E on performance of cows, blood antioxidant status and milk fatty acid composition. Sixty-three lactating Holstein cows were randomly divided into seven groups of nine cows each and each group was fed one of the following diets: i) a basal diet (control); ii) a basal diet with 0.15 mg Se/kg DM (LSe); iii) a basal diet with 0.3 mg Se/kg DM (HSe); iv) a basal diet with 5,000 IU/cow d vitamin E (LVE); v) a basal diet with 10,000 IU/cow d vitamin E (HVE); vi) a basal diet with 0.15 mg Se/kg DM and 5,000 IU/cow d vitamin E (LSeVE); vii) a basal diet with 0.3 mg Se/kg DM and 10,000 IU/cow d vitamin E (HSeVE). Milk fat percentage and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) yield in HVE and HSeVE diets increased (p<0.05) compared with the control diet. In milk fat, dietary supplementation of Se tended to increase the proportion of the sum of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and significantly decreased (p<0.05) the proportion of the sum of saturated fatty acids (SFA). In addition, compared with the control, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content was lower and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was higher when fat diets were supplemented with Se. Our data showed that supplementation with Se and/or VE improved these nutrients in blood and milk. The results indicated that fat diets supplemented with Se improved both antioxidant status in blood and fatty acids in milk fat, and fat diets supplemented with vitamin E alleviated milk fat depression. Therefore, the combination of Se and vitamin E caused synergistic effects on the nutritional quality of milk fat and performance of cows fed a fat diet.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.730-746
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• 2015

Selenium plays an important role in boar nutrition via participating in selenoprotein synthesis. It seems likely that selenoproteins are central for antioxidant system regulation in the body. Se-dependent enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) is the most studied selenoprotein in swine production. However, roles of other selenoproteins in boar semen production and maintenance of semen quality also need to be studied. Boar semen is characterised by a high proportion of easily oxidized long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and requires an effective antioxidant defense. The requirement of swine for selenium varies depending on many environmental and other conditions and, in general, is considered to be 0.15 to 0.30 mg/kg feed. It seems likely that reproducing sows and boars are especially sensitive to Se deficiency, and meeting their requirements is an important challenge for pig nutritionists. In fact, in many countries there are legal limits as to how much Se may be included into the diet and this restricts flexibility in terms of addressing the Se needs of the developing and reproducing swine. The analysis of data of various boar trials with different Se sources indicates that in some cases when background Se levels were low, there were advantages of Se dietary supplementation. It is necessary to take into account that only an optimal Se status of animals is associated with the best antioxidant protection and could have positive effects on boar semen production and its quality. However, in many cases, background Se levels were not determined and therefore, it is difficult to judge if the basic diets were deficient in Se. It can also be suggested that, because of higher efficacy of assimilation from the diet, and possibilities of building Se reserves in the body, organic selenium in the form of selenomethionine (SeMet) provided by a range of products, including Se-Yeast and SeMet preparations is an important source of Se to better meet the needs of modern pig genotypes in commercial conditions of intensive pig production.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.201-207
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• 2012

This study investigated the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant effects of dietary quercetin in an animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Four-week-old C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice (n = 18) were offered an AIN-93G diet or a diet containing quercetin at 0.04% (low quercetin, LQE) or 0.08% of the diet (high quercetin, HQE) for 6 weeks after 1 week of adaptation. Plasma glucose, insulin, adiponectin, and lipid profiles, and lipid peroxidation of the liver were determined. Plasma glucose levels were significantly lower in the LQE group than in the control group, and those in the HQE group were even further reduced compared with the LQE group. The homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) showed lower values for LQE and HQE than for the control group without significant influence on insulin levels. High quercetin increased plasma adiponectin compared with the control group. Plasma triglycerides in the LQE and HQE groups were lower than those in the control group. Supplementation with high quercetin decreased plasma total cholesterol and increased HDL-cholesterol compared with the control group. Consumption of low and high quercetin reduced thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels and elevated activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the liver. Thus, quercetin could be effective in improving hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and antioxidant status in type 2 diabetes.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.312-319
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• 2007

This study was performed to investigate the effect of lecithin on lipid metabolism and antixidative capacity in 9-week-old rats. Forty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 249.8 g were blocked into three groups according to their body weight and raised for 8 weeks with experimental diets containing 1% (LM) or 5% lecithin (LH) and control (C) diet. Plasma and liver total lipids, triglyceride, total cholesterol and plasma HDL-cholesterol concenterations, and fecal total lipids, triglyceride, total cholesterol and bile acid excretions were measured. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in plasma, liver, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in red blood cell and liver, xanthine oxidase (XO) activities in plasma and liver, and total antioxidant status (TAS) in plasma were also measured. Effect of lecithin intake on antioxidative capacity was not significantly different among all the groups. Plasma total lipids, triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were lower in lecithin groups compared to control group, and these three lipid levels of lecithin groups were lowered dose-dependently as dietary lecithin level increased. But liver total lipids, triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were not different among all the groups. Also fecal total lipids, triglyceride and total cholesterol excretions were highest in high lecithin groups compared to two other groups. Thus it is plausible that lecithin intake decreases plasma lipid levels through increasing fecal lipid excretions, and may be beneficial for treatment and prevention of hyperlipidemia, but has no effect on antioxidative capacity.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 2014

Protocatechualdehyde (PA) is phenolic compound having antioxidative and antitumor activities. PA was purified from supernatant of Streptomyces lincolnensis M-20. In the presence of copper ion, PA acted as pro-oxidant. The antioxidant activity was assessed with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and the pro-oxidant effect of PA on DNA damage as pBR322 plasmid DNA-cleaving agents in the presence of Cu(II) ions was investigated. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the DNA damage was confirmed by the inhibition of the DNA breakage by using glutathione (GSH), specific scavenger of ROS. When the increase in ROS reaches a certain level (the toxic threshold), it may trigger cell death. The formation of the PA/Cu(II) chelate complex was confirmed by reaction with ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA), a well-known chelating agent for metal ions, by using UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2016

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is one of the most common causes of acute liver failure. The study aimed to investigate the protective effect of carnosic acid (CA) on APAP-induced acute hepatotoxicity and its underlying mechanism in mice. To induce hepatotoxicity, APAP solution (400 mg/kg) was administered into mice by intraperitoneal injection. Histological analysis revealed that CA treatment significantly ameliorated APAP-induced hepatic necrosis. The levels of both alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in serum were reduced by CA treatment. Moreover, CA treatment significantly inhibited APAP-induced hepatocytes necrosis and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) releasing. Western blot analysis showed that CA abrogated APAP-induced cleaved caspase-3, Bax and phosphorylated JNK protein expression. Further results showed that CA treatment markedly inhibited APAP-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNA expression and the levels of phosphorylated $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and p65 protein in the liver. In addition, CA treatment reduced APAP- induced hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Conversely, hepatic glutathione (GSH) level was increased by administration of CA in APAP-treated mice. Mechanistically, CA facilitated Nrf2 translocation into nuclear through blocking the interaction between Nrf2 and Keap1, which, in turn, upregulated anti-oxidant genes mRNA expression. Taken together, our results indicate that CA facilitates Nrf2 nuclear translocation, causing induction of Nrf2-dependent genes, which contributes to protection from acetaminophen hepatotoxicity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.297-307
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• 2003

In the present study, we investigated the protective effect of the Puerarie Radix water extract (PRE) against CCl₄-induced hepatotoxicity and the mechanism underlying these protective effects in the rats. The pretreatment of PRE has shown to possess a significant protective effect by lowering the serum alanine and aspartate aminoteansferase (AST and ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). This hepatoprotective action was confirmed by histological observation. In addition, the pretreatment of PRE prevented the elevation of hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) formation and the depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) content and catalase activity in the liver of CC1₄-injected rats. The PRE also displayed hydroxide radical scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 83.6 μg/ml), as assayed by electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping technique. Moreover, the expression of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) mRNA, as measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), was significantly decreased in the liver of PRE-pretreated rats when compared with that in the liver of control group. Based on these results, it was suggested that the hepatoprotective effects of the PRE may be related to antioxidant effects and regulation of CYP2E1 gene expression.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2014

In traditional Korean and Chinese medicine, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) for the treatment of central nervous system-related symptoms such as tremor, seizure, stroke and epilepsy. We investigated the effects of safflower could influence cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal and cognitive impairments. Administration of safflower for 1 day (200 mg/kg body weight, p.o.) increased the survival of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons after transient global brain ischemia. And neurological functions measured as short term memory. Post-treatment with safflower for 2 times decreased the induction/reduction - induced production of neuronal cell loss from global cerebral ischemia. Safflower markedly decreased neuronal cell death and also caused a decrease in the content of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS) ($55.2{\pm}9.4{\mu}mol\;mg^{-1}$) and significant improvement of activities of glutathione (GSH) ($27.2{\pm}5.0{\mu}mol\;mg^{-1}$) in hippocampus. We conclude that treatment with safflower attenuated learning and memory deficits, and neuronal cell loss induced by global cerebral ischemia. These results suggest that safflower may be a potential candidate for the treatment of vascular dementia.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1186-1192
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of Chlorella vulgaris extract (CVE) against carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The mice received silymarin (100 mg/kg), intragastrieally (i.g.) and CVE (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.g.), respectively, every other day, for 4 weeks before $CCl_4$ administration. Twenty-four hr after the administration of $CCl_4$, the serum and liver were analyzed. Our study found that in the CVE groups, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels had decreased significantly and the tissue injury was notably diminished compared to the $CCl_4$ group. The antioxidant activities of CVE groups, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione (GSH), were significantly increased and the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was remarkably increased in a CVE concentration-dependent manner. In the CVE groups, cytochrome P450 2B1/2B2 (CYP2B1/2) content was decreased. These results indicate that CVE has protective effects against $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity via stimulation of the antioxidant activity and nitric oxide (NO) production, and through inhibition of CYP2B1/2.