• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1407-1414
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• 2011

This study is aimed to evaluate the protective effect of Cordycepin-enriched Cordyceps militaris (CM${\alpha}$) strain on orotic acid (OA)-induced fatty liver in rats. OA treatment induced the retardation of body weight gain and enlargement of the liver. The activities of liver marker enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Alk. phosphatase and Cholinesterase were increased when treated with OA, but these parameters were significantly decreased in the CM${\alpha}$ group. The current study observed significant elevations of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels. However, among the OA groups, the CM${\alpha}$ group showed significantly low TBARS levels of hepatic homogenate. The OA group resulted in a significant decrease in the levels of plasma and hepatic glutathione, but these reductions were significantly increased in the CM${\alpha}$ group. These effects were more pronounced in the CM${\alpha}$ group than in the PJ or CM groups in Orotic acid treated rats. Accordingly, Cordycepin-enriched Cordyceps militaris (CM${\alpha}$) may be an ideal candidate for hepatoprotective effects in animal models.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.3-10
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• 2010

This study was performed to investigate the effect of desalinated underground seawater (named as 'magma seawater', MSW) of Jeju Island in Korea on lipid metabolism and antioxidant activity. MSW was collected from underground of Han-Dong in Jeju Island, and freely given to high fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6 mice for 10 weeks. Although there were no significant differences in the body weight changes and plasma lipid levels, hepatic triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the MSW group than in the normal tap water (TW)-drunken control group. Furthermore, the activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS) was significantly decreased and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) activity was increased in MSW group compared to TW group. Similarly, real-time PCR analysis revealed that mRNA expressions of lipogenic genes were lowered in MSW groups compared to the control group. In a morphometric observation on the liver tissue, accumulation of fats was remarkably reduced in MSW group. Meanwhile, in vitro assay, tree radical scavenging activity measured by using diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was increased in MSW group. The 2'-7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) staining followed with fluorescent microscopy showed a low intensity of fluorescence in MSW-treated HepG2 cells, compared to TW-treated HepG2 cells, which indicated that the production of reactive oxygen species by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) in HepG2 cells was decreased by MSW treatment. The antioxidant effect of MSW on t-BHP-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells was supported by the increased activities of intracellular antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and glutathione reductase. From these results, we speculate that MSW has an inhibitory effect on lipogenesis in liver and might play a protective role against cell damage by t-BHP-induced oxidative stress.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate of hepatoprotective effect of dandelion water extract (DWE) according to repeated administration of thioacetamide (TAA) induced hepatotoxicity in Spraque-Dawley rats. Thirty rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups; normal control, DWE-control, TAA-control (TAA injection during the feeding of normal diet), TAA&DWE600 (TAA repeated injection during the feeding of DWE 600 mg/kg BW), TAA&DWE1200 (TAA repeated injection during the feeding of DWE 1,200 mg/kg BW). Rats in DWE-control and TAA&DWE groups were treated with DWE (600 or 1,200 mg/kg BW daily) by gavage for 20 days (twice a day). All the rats in the TAA-control and TAA&DWE groups were repeated injection of TAA (100 mg/kg BW) into the abdominal cavity 3 days interval and 12 hrs later, all rats were sacrificed. At the same time, normal control and DWE-control groups were injected normal saline. In TAA&DWE groups, serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT, AST) were significantly decreased and triglyceride (TG) synthesis was significantly increased compared to TAA group. As well as total billilubin and GGT were slightly decreased by the treatment of DWE. Lipid peroxidation (MDA) concentration was significantly decreased and hepatic GSH content was slightly or significantly increased in the TAA&DWE groups compared to TAA group. Hepatic anti-oxidative enzyme activities, such as GSH, GST, SOD and catalase were slightly or significantly elevated by the treatment of DWE. According to these results, When dandelion extract was long term supplied, it could be used as a potential protective material for a longer time liver damage by repeated adminstration of the TAA.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2014

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and related trichothecene mycotoxins are extensively distributed in the cereal-based food and feed stuffs worldwide. Recent climate changes and global grain trade increased chance of exposure to more DON and related toxic metabolites in poorly managed production systems. Monitoring the biological and environmental exposures to the toxins are crucial in protecting human and animals from toxicities of the hazardous contaminants in food or feeds. Exposure biomarkers including urine DON itself are prone to shift to less harmful metabolites by intestinal microbiota and liver metabolic enzymes. De-epoxyfication of DON by gut microbes such as Eubacterium strain BBSH 797 and Eubacterium sp. DSM 11798 leads to more fecal secretion of DOM-1. By contrast, most of plant-derived DON-glucoside is also easily catabolized to free DON by gut microbes, which produces more burden to body. Phase 2 hepatic metabolism also contributes to the glucuronidation of DON, which can be useful urine biomarkers. However, chemical modification could be very typical depending on the anthropologic or genetic background, luminal bacteria, and hepatic metabolic enzyme susceptibility to the toxins in the diet. After toxin exposure, effect biomarkers are also important in estimating the linkage and mechanisms of foodborne diseases in human and animal population. Most prominent adverse effects are demonstrated in the DON-induced immunological and behavioral disorders. For instance, acutely elevated interleukin-8 from insulted gut exposed to dietaty DON is a dominant clinical biomarker in human and animals. Moreover, subchronic exposure to the toxins is associated with high levels of serum IgA, a biological mediator of IgA nephritis. In particular, anorexia monitoring using mouse models are recently developed to monitor the biological activities of DON-induced feed refusal. It is also mechanistically linked to alteration of serotoin and peptide YY, which are promising biomarkers of neurological disorders by the toxins. As animal-alternative biomonitoring, huamn enterocyte-based assay has been developed and more realistic gut mimetic models would be useful in monitoring the effect biomarkers in resposne to toxic contaminants in the future investigations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.965-972
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• 2004

In the present study, it is observed that Monascus diet may have a hepatoprotective effect on the liver damage induced by bromobenzene in rats. By treatment with bromobenzene (400 mg/kg, i.p.) once a day for 3 consecutive days, the liver damage was reduced in rats fed 2% Monascus diet, based on the liver functional and histopathological findings. Furthermore, retreatment of bromobenzene to the animals with damaged liver showed higher decreasing rate of hepatic glutathione content and increasing rate of cytochrome P450 dependent aniline hydroxylase activity at 4 h in rats fed 2% Monascus diet than those fed STD diet, and V$_{max}$ in glutathione S-transferase was higher in liver of rats fed 2% Monascus diet than those fed STD diet. On the other hand, activities of antioxidant enzymes such as hepatic glutathione S-transferase, catalase and superoxide dismutase were generally higher both in bromobenzene and 2% Monascus diet treated group than those fed STD diet. In conclusion, the rats fed 2% Monascus diet showed lower liver damage than those fed STD diet, which may be due to the acceleration of bromobenzene metabolism and detoxication of oxygen free radicals.s.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.141-147
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• 2004

In this study, we investigated the effect of Teminalia Chebula (TC) water extract on liver in Rat. Treatment of TC water extract was orally administered 200, 300 mg/kg daily for one week and two weeks. The clinical parameters of serum, values of AST, ALT showed significantly higher than in normal group. Xanthine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase activities were significantly increased comparison with normal group. Microsomal enzymes, aminopyrine N-demethylase and aniline hydroxylase were not affected. Water extract of TC also increased hepatic rnalondialdehyde formation and reduced glutathione content. We also found that water extract of TC decreased activities of glutathione S-transferase and glutathione reductase but was not affected activities of $\gamma$-glutamylcysteine synthetase Thus, it seems that the water extract of TC induced decrease of oxygen free radical scavenger, glutathione content by inhibition of glutathione reductase which may reform oxidized glutathione to reduced glutathione.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2001

This study was designed to determine the effects of Protaetia Orientalis larva (Gory et Perchlon) on the in vivo lipid metabolism in Sprague Dawley rats with the administration of carbon tetrachloride to induce damage in the liver. At the end of 8th week, serum levels of GOP and GPT, hepatic cholesterol levels, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids were determined. In addition, activities of antioxidative enzymes were also determined. The administration of carbon tetrachloride resulted in increase of serum GOT and GPT, liver triglyceride and total cholesterol. On the other hand, those fed in combination with carbon tetrachloride and Protaetia Orientalis larva decreased those lipid parameters . Carbon tetrachloride feeding resulted in decrease of liver phospholipid, whereas that of the rat fed in combination with carbon tetrachloride and Protaetia Orientalis larva was increased. In antioxidative defense system, carbon tetrachloride led to a significant decrease in activities of catalase, total SOD, Cu, Zn-SOD and glutathione-S-transferase. However, those activities of the rat fed in combination with carbon tetrachloride and Protaetia Orientalis larva was significantly increased. Hepatocytes of carbon tetrachloride administered rats showed increased lipid droplets and micro-filaments. However, those of the rat fed in combination with carbon tetrachloride and Protaetia Orientalis larva were reduced in the number and the size.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.675-681
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• 1997

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary protein and fiber levels on the activities of ethanol metabolizing enzymes of liver in ethanol-treated rats. Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed on diets containing two levels of protein(7, 20%/kg diet) and pectin(5, 10%/kg diet). In ethanol experiments, ethanol(25% v/v) was administered by oral intubation(5g/kg body weight) at the same time once a day Control animals received an isocaloric dose of sucrose. The rats were sacrificed after 5 weeks of feeding periods. Alcohol dehydrogenase and microsomal ethanol oxidizing system activities of hepatic tissue were increased more in ethanol-treated groups than in control groups. Increment of activities predominated in normal protein normal fiber group. Aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was decreased in ethanol-treated groups and significantly decreased in normal Protein normal fiber group. Cytochrome P-450 content was significantly increased in ethanol-treated groups and Predominated in normal protein groups. Xanthine oxidase activity was increased in ethanol-treated groups, but not significantly except normal protein normal fiber group. Glutathione content tended to increase in proportion to level of dietary protein and was higher in normal fiber groups than in high fiber groups, whereas it was decreased by ethanol treatment. Lipid Peroxide content was significantly increased in low Protein normal fiber groups.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.1134-1139
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of four kinds of tea (Camellia sinensis) extracts on the antioxidant defense systems as well as the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in ethanol administered ICR mice. According to the results, treatment with puerh tea significantly increased the superoxide dismutase activity and glutathion reductase activity in liver. In addition, the group treated with oolong tea exhibited higher superoxide dismutase activity and glutathion reductase activity in serum than those of puerh tea, green tea and black tea treated groups. The oolong tea and puerh tea also reduced malondealdehyde contents in both liver and serum. These results suggested that puerh tea and oolong tea were the most effective against alcohol-induced oxidative damage among the Camellia sinensis teas. On the other hand, in the measurement of alcohol break-down enzyme activities, the group treated with green tea exhibited the highest hepatic ADH and ALDH activities, suggesting that the group treated with green tea might be useful for alcohol down-regulation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1342-1347
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• 2008

The purpose of present study was to investigate the protective effect of silkworm excrement powder (SEP) on alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Semisynthetic diet supplemented with SEP (3%, w/w) given to alcohol-feeding rats for 30 days, then blood and tissues were collected, processed and used for alcohol concentration mensuration, various biochemical estimations and histopathological examination. Chronic alcohol administration resulted in significantly increase in the activities of the clinically important liver marker enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), $\gamma$-glutamyl transpeptidase ($\gamma$-GTP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Also, a highly significant increase in the blood alcohol level by alcohol treatment was observed. But alcohol-induced elevation of ALT and LDH levels markedly prevented and the level of blood alcohol decreased in SEP treated rats as compared to alcohol-administered control rats. SEP supplementation showed highly decreased the concentrations of total lipid, triglyceride and cholesterol in serum, as compared with alcohol treated control rats. Alcohol treatment induced the marked accumulation of large lipid droplets, hepatocytes necrosis and inflammation in the liver, but SEP administration attenuated to alcohol-induced accumulation of lipid droplets and hepatocyte necrosis. The results indicated that SEP may exert a protective effect against alcoholic hepatotoxicity through decreasing the activity of hepatic marker enzymes.