• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.197-206
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• 2003

Physiological functions of raw grain diet composed of brown rice and Job's Tear (1 : 1) were evaluated in rats raised with nutritionally unbalanced diet including 1% cholesterol, high proportion of animal lipids (lard: soybean oil : 8 : 2), sub-optimal levels of vitamin and mineral mixture along with 0.5% ethanol in drinking water for 4 weeks. Control rats were fed the AIN-93G diet for 9 weeks, and nutritionally unbalanced rats were divided into 3 groups, and fed one of the following diets with 0.5% ethanol in drinking water for another 5 weeks: unbalanced control diet (UCD), raw grain diet (RGD) (UCD +20% brown rice and Job's Tear mixture, and cooked grain diet (CGD)(autoclaved RGD at 121$^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours). Feeding UCD for 5 weeks significantly lowered the food efficiency ratio (FER) of rats than the value for control animals, and dietary supplementation of brown rice and Job's Tear mixture to UCD significantly restored the FER. Serum total cholesterol concentration was significantly lowered in rats fed RGD (24% decrease) or CGD (16% decrease) compared to the value for rats fed UCD. Feeding RGD for 5 weeks significaly lowered the serum LDL+VLDL-cholesterol concentration (26% decrease), as well as the hepatic cholesterol level (16% decrease) than the values for UCD rats. Animals fed CGD (38% decrease) or RGU (59% decrease) showed significantly lower level of hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) compared to the value for rats fed UCD (p<0.05), although hepatic activities of antioxidative enzymes were not influenced by dietary supplementation. Feeding RGD for 5 weeks significantly increased CD4$^{＋}$ T-cell population along with CD4$^{＋}$/CD8$^{＋}$ ratio of mesenteric lymph nodes compared to those for UCD rats (p<0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of brown rice and Job's Tear mixture as raw grains exhibited superior activity lowering blood and hepatic levels of cholesterol, and improving mesenteric lymph nodes immune function of rats to the cooked grain mixture of identical ingredients.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2016

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are crucial extracellular matrices degrading enzymes that take important roles in metastasis of cancer progression as well as other significant conditions such as oxidative stress and hepatic fibrosis. Natural products are on the rise for their potential to provide remarkable health benefits. In this context, halophytes have been of interest in the nutraceutical field with reported instances of isolation of bioactive compounds. In this study, Limonium tetragonum, an edible halophyte, was studied for its ability to inhibit MMP-2 and -9 using HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. Results showed that L. tetragonum extract was able to inhibit the enzymatic activity and mRNA expression of MMP-2 and -9 according to gelatin zymography and RT-PCR assays, respectively, but it was not able to significantly change the MMP pathway related factors such as tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. Also, Mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway-related protein levels and their phosphorylation were assayed. While the phosphorylated p38 levels were decreased, extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase were not affected by L. tetragonum treatment. In conclusion, it was suggested that L. tetragonum contains substances acting as MMP inhibitors on enzymatic activity rather than intracellular pathway intervention, which could be useful for further utilization of L. tetragonum as a source for anti-MMP agents.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.240-245
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• 2008

Aloe vera extract was fermented by Lactobacillus casei. The ability of fermented Aloe vera (FAV) as an antioxidant to protect against $CCl_4$-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in rats was investigated. The rats were administered orally with various doses of FAV with 50, 100 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days. For this study, we not only tested activity of various plasma enzymes (AST, ALT), which are used as indicators of liver disease, but also checked those change of liver components such as superoxide dismutase and catalase activity. Pretreatment of FAV for two weeks significantly reduced the elevated plasma enzyme activities induced by $CCl_4$. Pretreatment of FAV also restored the hepatic enzyme, malonedialdehyde (MDA) formation. The results indicate that FAV has a protective effect against acute hepatotoxicity induced by the administration of $CCl_4$ in rats, and that the hepatoprotective effects of FAV may be due to both the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the increase of antioxidant activity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.259-265
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• 1999

This study was designed to examine the anticarcinogenic effect of dietary supplementation with garlic powder on rat hepatocarcinogenesis. All rats were initiated by a single dose (200 mg/body weight) intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), and three weeks later, subjected to two-thirds partial hepatectomy. Two weeks after initiation, four groups of rats were given experimental diets supplemented with 0 (control group), 0.5, 2.0, or 5.0% garlic powder for 6 weeks. Rats were sacrificed at eight weeks after initiation. The induction of placental glutathione S-transferase (GST-P) positive foci was significantly inhibited almost equally in all three groups fed garlic diets. Glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activity was increased in rats fed 0.5% and 2.0% garlic powder, and was negatively correlated with the number and area of GST-P positive foci. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) contents were decreased in rats fed 2.0% and 5.0% garlic powder. Only 5.0% garlic powder supplementation significantly increased the glutathione content and the glutathione S-transferase activity, compared to the control group. Therefore, all levels of garlic powder, 0.5% to 5.0%, exerted an anti promotional effect during hepatocarcinogenesis. Dietary supplementation with garlic powder seemed to maintain microsomal membrane integrity by increasing G6Pase activities. Glutathione-dependent detoxifying enzymes did not seem to contribute to this protective effect directly. The present study suggests that garlic powder is effective in inhibiting the induction of GST-P positive foci, possibly by stabilizing the hepatic microsomal membrane.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2009

It has been reported that dietary polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) increase liver injury in response to ethanol feeding. We tested the hypothesis that diets rich in linoleic acid (18:2n-6) would affect acute liver injury after acetaminophen injection and that protein restriction might exacerbate the liver injury. We examined effects of feeding diets with either 15% (wt/wt) corn oil or 14% beef tallow and 1% corn oil for six weeks with either 6 or 20 g/100 g protein on acute hepatotoxicity. After the feeding period, liver injury was induced by injecting either with 600 mg/kg body weight acetaminophen suspended in gum arabic-based vehicle, or with vehicle alone during fasting status. Samples of liver and plasma were taken for analyses of hepatic glutathione (GSH) levels and liver-specific enzymes [(Glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT)], respectively. Whereas GSH level was significantly lower in only group fed 15% corn oil with 6 g/100 g protein among acetaminophen-treated groups, activities of GPT and GOT were significantly elevated in all groups except the one fed beef tallow with 20 g/100 g protein, suggesting low protein might exacerbate drug-induced hepatotoxicity. The feeding regimens changed the ratio of 18:2n-6 to oleic acid (18:1n-9) in total liver lipids approximately five-fold, and produced modest changes in arachidonic acid (20:4n-6). We conclude that diets with high 18:2n-6 promote acetaminophen-induced liver injury compared to diets with more saturated fatty acids (SFA). In addition, protein restriction appeared to exacerbate the liver injury.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1078-1090
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• 1995

This study was undertaken to elucidate the effect of DHA rich fish oil(DHA rich oil) added to different dietary fats on thrombosis and lipid peroxidation. Rats were fed perilla oil, sesame oil and beef tallow with or without DHA rich oil for 12 weeks. Bleeding time was the longest in Perilla oil groups with or without DHA rich oil. The productions of thromboxane B2(TX B2) and 6-keto Prostaglandin F1$\alpha$(6-keto PG F1$\alpha$) were the highest in Esame oil group without DHA rich oil. Bleeding time tended to be extened and group showed the most antithrombotic effect among three oil groups when DHA rich oil added. The antithrombotic effect by DHA rich oil addition seemed to be resulted from the increase of dietary n-3 fatty acid rather than DHA. And there was not the difference in antithrombotic effect between DHA and $\alpha$-linolinic acid. The level of TBARS(thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) in plasma and liver, and the activities of lipid peroxide metabolizing enzymes(catalase, superoxide dismutase and gluthathion peroxidase) in erythrocyte and liver were not affected by the dietry fat type and DHA rich oil addition, except that activity of hepatic catalase was increased by DHA rich oil addition. Therefore it revealed the DHA level added in this study seldom affected lipid peroxidation. However, it dose not conclude that DHA level of this study make low production of lipid peroxide because the peroid of our study was short.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.785-793
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• 2013

We studied the effects of 2 different dosages of high-molecular-weight poly-${\gamma}$-glutamic acid (hm ${\gamma}$-PGA) derived from Bacillus subtilis chungkookjang on lipid metabolism in a high-fructose diet-induced hypertriglyceridemic animal model. For 4 weeks, rats were fed either AIN-93 diet (normal control, NC; n = 10) or modified AIN-93 diet in which cornstarch was substituted with 63% fructose (n = 30) to induce hypertriglyceridemia. After 4 weeks, the hypertriglyceridemic rats were treated with daily oral doses of 0 mg (hypertriglyceridemic control, HC), 2.5 mg (hypertriglyceridemic, low hm ${\gamma}$-PGA, HL), or 5 $mg{\cdot}kg{\cdot}bw^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$ (hypertriglyceridemic, high hm ${\gamma}$-PGA, HH) hm ${\gamma}$-PGA for 4 weeks. The HL and HH groups exhibited significantly lower levels of serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and free fatty acids than the HC group. The administration of hm ${\gamma}$-PGA reduced serum ALT and AST levels. The activities of lipogenic enzymes such as hepatic malic enzyme and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase as well as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA expression were significantly decreased by hm ${\gamma}$-PGA administration (p < 0.05). These results indicate that hm ${\gamma}$-PGA has an anti-hypertriglyceridemic effect in high-fructose diet-induced hypertriglyceridemic rats.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.663-668
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• 2011

Galgeun-tang (GGT) has been a great source for treating cold diseases in the folk medicine recipe. Carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) is one type of hepatotoxin that can eventually cause liver injury. During the experiment, we first studied the protective effects of GGT against $CC_4$-induced hepatotoxicity. GGT was pretreated for 3 h, and 1% $CCl_4$ was added to mouse primary liver cells. After 4 h, ROS generation and expression of antioxidant enzymes (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)) were analyzed by FACS and real time PCR. Also, the activities of ALT and LDH were measured using cultured medium. The hepatic levels of TNF-alpha and iNOS, which are related to inflammation and stress response gene, HSP72 and HO-1 were analyzed by PCR or real time PCR. Liver tissues were analyzed by HE stain. From the observation, we discovered that GGT treatment protects $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity, and that GGT pretreatment decreases ROS generation, TNF-alpha and iNOS expression. However, gene expression of CAT, SOD, GPx, HSP72 and HO-1 were increased by GGT. These results lead to the conclusion that GGT has protective effects against $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.275-280
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• 2005

Carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) is well known hepatotoxicant. Its overdose cause severe centrilobular hepatic necrosis in human and experimental animals. We administered $CCl_{4}$ at low (0.2 mL/kg p.o.) and high (2 mL/kg p.o.) doses to mice. Mice were sacrificed at 24 h after administration. We evaluated liver toxicity by serum AST and ALT level and by microscopic observation. Using cDNA chip, we conducted gene expression analysis in liver. Mean serum activities of the hepatocellular leakage enzymes, ALT and AST, were significantly increased compare to control, respectively, in the low and high dose groups. H&E evaluation of stained liver sections revealed $CCl_{4}-related$ histopathological findings in mice. Moderate centrilobular hepatocellular necrosis was present in all $CCl_{4}$ treated mice. We found that gene expression pattern was very similar between low and high dose group. However, some stress related genes were differently expressed. These results could be a molecular signature for the degree of liver injury. Our data suggest that the degree of severity could be figure out by gene expression profiling.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.967-974
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• 2007

The present work is aimed to evaluate the protective effect of glutathione-enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae FF-8 strain on carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats. The activities of liver markers (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase), lipid peroxidative index (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances), and the antioxidant status (reduced glutathione) were used to monitor those protective roles of FF-8 strain. The liver marker enzymes in plasma and the lipid peroxidation in the liver were increased when $CCl_4$ was treated but these were significantly decreased by FF-8 strain treatment. The hepatic concentration of glutathione in the current glutathione-enriched FF-8 strain fed animal was approximately twice as high as the normal, but this was slightly increased in response to $CCl_4$ plus glutathione-enriched FF-8 strain. The increased liver triglyceride concentration due to the $CCl_4$ treatment was significantly decreased by FF-8 strain and the reduced level reached to that of normal group. Administration of FF-8 strain in normal rat did not show any signs of harmful effects. Therefore, the current findings suggest that FF-8 strain could be an effective antioxidant with no or negligible side-effects and it might be useful for the purpose of protection treatment of hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in $CCl_4$-treatment in rat.