• Title/Summary/Keyword: Hepatic lipid

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Protective Effect of Functional Perilla frutescens Hot-water Extract Against tert-butyl hydroperoxide-Induced Liver Oxidative Damage in Rats (랫드에서의 t-BHP 유발 산화스트레스에 대한 기능성 들깻잎 열수 추출물의 간 보호 효과)

  • Yang, Sung-Yong;Kang, Jeong-Han;Lee, Kwang-Won
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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    • v.28 no.2
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    • pp.146-151
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    • 2013
  • Perilla frutescens usually dieted in East Asian country such as Korea and Japan. Antioxidant, antiinflammatory and anticancer activities of perilla leaves have been founded. In previous study, we confirmed that caffeic acid, major compound of perilla, was accumulation by sucrose aqueous solution and thus antioxidant effect of perilla was enhanced. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of functional perilla leaves extract (PLE) against tert-butyl hydroperoxide(t-BHP) induced-oxidative hepatotoxicity. The pretreatment with PLE (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg b.w.) for 5 days before a single dose of t-BHP (i.p.; 0.5 mmol/kg) significantly lowered the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase dose-dependently. And we confirmed that the indicators of oxidative stress were remarkably reduced in the liver, such as the glutathione contents and malondialdehyde, marker of lipid peroxidation. Pathological histology of the rat livers tissues showed that PLE reduced the hepatocyte degeneration and neutrophilic infiltration of liver induced by t-BHP. These results suggest that functional perilla frutescens has the protective effect of liver against t-BHP-induced oxidative hepatic stress in rats.

Protective Effects of Lotus Root (Nelumbo nucifera G.) Extract on Hepatic Injury Induced by Alcohol in Rats (알코올로 유발된 흰쥐의 간손상에 대한 연근 추출물의 간 보호효과)

  • Lee, Jae-Joon;Park, Se-Young;Lee, Yu-Mi;Lee, Myung-Yul
    • Food Science and Preservation
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    • v.13 no.6
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    • pp.774-782
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    • 2006
  • This study investigated the hepatoprotective effects of an ethanol extract of lotus root (LRE) on alcohol-induced liver damage in rat. Sprague-Dawley rae weighing $100{\sim}150g$, were divided into 6 groups: basal diet group (BD), alcohol (35% 10 mL/kg/day) teated stoup (ET), LRE 200 mg/kg/day teated group (BD-LREL). LRE 400 mg/kg/day treated group (BD-LREH), LRE 200 mg/kg/day and alcohol treated group (ET-LREL), and LRE 400 3mg/kg/day and alcohol teated group (ET-LREH). After the administration, rats were sacrificed to get serum and liver to analyze antioxidant enzyme activity, glutathione and lipid peroxide contents. The body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio were decreased by alcohol administration, however, were gradually increased to a little lower level than the basal diet group by the combined administration of alcohol and LRE. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), asparate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities that were elevated by alcohol were significantly decreased by LRE administration. It was also observed that thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content, xanthine oxidase (XO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in liver that were increased by alcohol, were markedly decreased in the combined alcohol and LRE administered groups as compared with the alcohol administrated group. These effect of LRE within the alcohol groups were in a dose-dependent manner. The glutathione (GSH) content in liver was decreased by alcohol administration, however, increased after administering LRE. Teken together, these result suggest that ethanol extract of lotus root may have a possible protective effect on liver function in hepatotoxicity-induced rat by alcohol administration.

Induction of Phase I, II and III Drug Metabolism/Transport by Xenobiotics

  • Xu Chang Jiang;Li Christina YongTao;Kong AhNg Tony
    • Archives of Pharmacal Research
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    • v.28 no.3
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    • pp.249-268
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    • 2005
  • Drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) play central roles in the metabolism, elimination and detoxification of xenobiotics and drugs introduced into the human body. Most of the tissues and organs in our body are well equipped with diverse and various DMEs including phase I, phase II metabolizing enzymes and phase III transporters, which are present in abundance either at the basal unstimulated level, and/or are inducible at elevated level after exposure to xenobiotics. Recently, many important advances have been made in the mechanisms that regulate the expression of these drug metabolism genes. Various nuclear receptors including the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), orphan nuclear receptors, and nuclear factor-erythoroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) have been shown to be the key mediators of drug-induced changes in phase I, phase II metabolizing enzymes as well as phase III transporters involved in efflux mechanisms. For instance, the expression of CYP1 genes can be induced by AhR, which dimerizes with the AhR nuclear translocator (Arnt) , in response to many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs). Similarly, the steroid family of orphan nuclear receptors, the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR), both heterodimerize with the ret-inoid X receptor (RXR), are shown to transcriptionally activate the promoters of CYP2B and CYP3A gene expression by xenobiotics such as phenobarbital-like compounds (CAR) and dexamethasone and rifampin-type of agents (PXR). The peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR), which is one of the first characterized members of the nuclear hormone receptor, also dimerizes with RXR and has been shown to be activated by lipid lowering agent fib rate-type of compounds leading to transcriptional activation of the promoters on CYP4A gene. CYP7A was recognized as the first target gene of the liver X receptor (LXR), in which the elimination of cholesterol depends on CYP7A. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) was identified as a bile acid receptor, and its activation results in the inhibition of hepatic acid biosynthesis and increased transport of bile acids from intestinal lumen to the liver, and CYP7A is one of its target genes. The transcriptional activation by these receptors upon binding to the promoters located at the 5-flanking region of these GYP genes generally leads to the induction of their mRNA gene expression. The physiological and the pharmacological implications of common partner of RXR for CAR, PXR, PPAR, LXR and FXR receptors largely remain unknown and are under intense investigations. For the phase II DMEs, phase II gene inducers such as the phenolic compounds butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA), tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), green tea polyphenol (GTP), (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and the isothiocyanates (PEITC, sul­foraphane) generally appear to be electrophiles. They generally possess electrophilic-medi­ated stress response, resulting in the activation of bZIP transcription factors Nrf2 which dimerizes with Mafs and binds to the antioxidant/electrophile response element (ARE/EpRE) promoter, which is located in many phase II DMEs as well as many cellular defensive enzymes such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), with the subsequent induction of the expression of these genes. Phase III transporters, for example, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs), and organic anion transporting polypeptide 2 (OATP2) are expressed in many tissues such as the liver, intestine, kidney, and brain, and play crucial roles in drug absorption, distribution, and excretion. The orphan nuclear receptors PXR and GAR have been shown to be involved in the regulation of these transporters. Along with phase I and phase II enzyme induction, pretreatment with several kinds of inducers has been shown to alter the expression of phase III transporters, and alter the excretion of xenobiotics, which implies that phase III transporters may also be similarly regulated in a coordinated fashion, and provides an important mean to protect the body from xenobiotics insults. It appears that in general, exposure to phase I, phase II and phase III gene inducers may trigger cellular 'stress' response leading to the increase in their gene expression, which ultimately enhance the elimination and clearance of these xenobiotics and/or other 'cellular stresses' including harmful reactive intermediates such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), so that the body will remove the 'stress' expeditiously. Consequently, this homeostatic response of the body plays a central role in the protection of the body against 'environmental' insults such as those elicited by exposure to xenobiotics.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Coffee Meal on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemical Profiles and Antioxidant Defense System in Broiler Chickens (사료 내 항산화원으로서 커피박 첨가가 닭의 사양성적, 혈액생화학성상 및 항산화 작용에 미치는 영향)

  • Ko, Young-Hyun;Kang, Sun-Young;Jang, In-Surk
    • Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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    • v.39 no.3
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    • pp.223-232
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    • 2012
  • The effects of dietary supplementation of dried coffee meal (CM) on growth performance, blood biochemical profiles, the weights of immune-related organs, and the antioxidant defense system in broiler chicks were examined. A total of 162, 3-day-old male broiler chickens were assigned to three dietary groups: control group (CON), control diet added with 0.5% CM (CM0.5), and control diet added with 1.0% CM (CM1.0). In vitro antioxidant activity test, coffee extracts showed concentration-dependent increase in radical scavenging activity. Dietary addition of 0.5 and 1.0% of CM did not have negative effects on growth performance and feed conversion during the experimental periods, whereas dietary CM significantly (P<0.05) increased the relative weight of thymus without changes in the other organ weights. In addition, birds fed the diet supplemented with CM (0.5 and 1.0%) significantly increased blood albumin without affecting other components including glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol compared with those fed control diet. In antioxidant defense system, the specific activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase and the level of glutathione in the small intestine and liver were not affected by dietary supplementation of CM. However, hepatic lipid peroxidation in birds fed the diet supplemented with 0.5% CM was significantly (P<0.05) decreased compared with that in control birds. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of CM(0.5~1.0%) has potential for use as a natural antioxidant source without negative effect on growth performance in broiler chickens.

Protective Effect of Saengshik Supplementation on Lead Induced Toxicity in Rats (생식의 섭취가 납중독 흰쥐의 피해 경감에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구)

  • Oh, Young-Joo;Kim, Jae-Min;Song, Si-Wan;Ha, Hyo-Cheol;Kim, Hyun-Su
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.34 no.7
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    • pp.959-967
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    • 2005
  • Lead is a ubiquitous environmental and industrial pollutant that causes a major health concerns. It is known to induce a broad range of physiological, biochemical, and behavioral dysfunctions in laboratory and humans, including hematopoietic system, kidneys, liver, and reproductive system. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Saengshik supplementation on the lead-induced toxicity in rats. Five week old male Sprague­Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups for six weeks as followings: control group (CT), lead acetate treated group (PT), and lead acetate groups administered with three different dosages of Saengshik $(SI2.5-12.5\%,\;S25-25\%,\;and\;S50-50\%).$ Lead acetate (12 mg/rat) was intragastrically administered daily for 6 weeks. The results were summarized as follows; Weight gain and food efficiency ratio were significantly lower (p<0.05) in lead administered group compared with those of the control group. Also, significant lead-induced alteration in blood hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and reticulocyte distribution width (RDW) were observed. In the liver of lead-exposed animals, there was an increase in the lipid peroxidation (MDA) and the level of glutathione (GSH), but superoxiede dismutase (SOD) activity did not change. Lead-exposed animals with $25\%\;and\;50\%$ Saengshik supplementation showed marked improvements in the values of MCH, MCV, and RDW. Also, the level of HCT was significantly increased by $50\%$ Saengshik supplementation. The levels of liver MDA in $12.5\%\;and\;50\%$ Saengshik administered groups and GSH level in $50\%$ Saengshik administered group were significantly decreased compared to the lead administered group. Also, hepatic SOD activity tended to increase in the presence of Saengshik supplementation. Furthermore, the accumulation of lead in liver and kidney was reduced by presence of Saneghshik supplementation. Liver lead concentration was significantly reduced by both $25\%\;and\;50\%$ Saengshik supplementations and kidney lead concentration was significantly reduced by the $25\%$ Saengshik supplementation. These results show that Saengshik may have a protective effect against lead intoxication but the mechanism of their effects remains unclear.

Protective Effects of Extracts of Hovenia dulcis Thunb on Hepatotoxicity in Carbon Tetrachloride Intoxicated Rats (지구자나무 추출물이 사염화탄소로 유발된 흰쥐의 간손상에 미치는 영향)

  • 김옥경
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.30 no.6
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    • pp.1260-1265
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    • 2001
  • This study was performed to investigate the protective effects of Hovenia dulcis Thunb on hepatotoxicity in carbon tetrachloride-intoxicated rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (220~240 g) were used as experimental groups, which were divided into 7 groups; Control group, $CCl_4$-treated group, hexane fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group, chloroform fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group, ethylacetate fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group, butanol fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group, $H_2O$ fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group. After 6 days, the activities of aminotransferase, contents of cholesterol, TG and hepatic lipid peroxide content in chloroform fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group were significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to the only $CCl_4$-treated group. The content of glutathione and activities of GST in chloroform fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group were also significantly increased (p<0.05) compared to the only $CCl_4$-treated group. In addition, activities of SOD, catalase and GSH-Px in chloroform fraction pretreated and $CCl_4$-treated group were significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to the only $CCl_4$-treated group. These results indicated that the chloroform fraction of Hovenia dulcis Thunb methanol extract showed hepatoprotective effect in carbon tetrachloride-intoxicated rats.

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Anti-diabetic effect and mechanism of Korean red ginseng extract in C57BL/KsJ db/db mice

  • Yuan, Hai-Dan;Shin, Eun-Jung;Chung, Sung-Hyun
    • Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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    • 2007.12a
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    • pp.57-58
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    • 2007
  • Purpose: Ginseng is a well-known medical plant used in traditional Oriental medicine. Korean red ginseng (KRG) has been known to have potent biological activities such as radical scavenging, vasodilating, anti-tumor and anti-diabetic activities. However, the mechanism of the beneficial effects of KRG on diabetes is yet to be elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the anti-diabetic effect and mechanism of KRG extract in C57BL/KsJ db/db mice. Methods: The db/db mice were randomly divided into six groups: diabetic control group (DC), red ginseng extract low dose group (RGL, 100 mg/kg), red ginseng extract high dose group (RGH, 200 mg/kg), metformin group (MET, 300 mg/kg), glipizide group (GPZ, 15 mg/kg) and pioglitazone group (PIO, 30 mg/kg), and treated with drugs once per day for 10 weeks. During the experiment, body weight and blood glucose levels were measured once every week. At the end of treatment, we measured Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride (TG), adiponectin, leptin, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA). Morphological analyses of liver, pancreas and white adipose tissue were done by histological observation through hematoxylin-eosin staining. Pancreatic islet insulin and glucagon levels were detected by double-immunofluorescence staining. To elucidate an action of mechanism of KRG, DNA microarray analyses were performed, and western blot and RT-PCR were conducted for validation. Results: Compared to the DC group mice, body weight gain of PIO treated group mice showed 15.2% increase, but the other group mice did not showed significant differences. Compared to the DC group, fasting blood glucose levels were decreased by 19.8% in RGL, 18.3% in RGH, 67.7% in MET, 52.3% in GPZ, 56.9% in PIO-treated group. With decreased plasma glucose levels, the insulin resistance index of the RGL-treated group was reduced by 27.7% compared to the DC group. Insulin resistance values for positive drugs were all markedly decreased by 80.8%, 41.1% and 68.9%, compared to that of DC group. HbA1c levels in RGL, RGH, MET, GPZ and PIO-treated groups were also decreased by 11.0%, 6.4%, 18.9%, 16.1% and 27.9% compared to that of DC group, and these figure revealed a similar trend shown in plasma glucose levels. Plasma TG and NEFA 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 RGL-treated group compared to those in DC group. Histological analysis of the liver of mice treated with KRG revealed a significantly decreased number of lipid droplets compared to the DC group. The control mice exhibited definitive loss and degeneration of islet, whereas mice treated with KRG preserved islet architecture. Compared to the DC group mice, KRG resulted in significant reduction of adipocytes. From the pancreatic islet double-immunofluorescence staining, we observed KRG has increased insulin production, but decreased glucagon production. KRG treatment resulted in stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in the db/db mice liver. To elucidate mechanism of action of KRG extract, microarray analysis was conducted in the liver tissue of mice treated with KRG extract, and results suggest that red ginseng affects on hepatic expression of genes responsible for glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. In summary, multiple administration of KRG showed the hypoglycemic activity and improved glucose tolerance. In addition, KRG increased glucose utilization and improved insulin sensitivity through inhibition of lipogenesis and activation of fatty acid $\beta$-oxidation in the liver tissue. In view of our present data, we may suggest that KRG could provide a solid basis for the development of new anti-diabetic drug.

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Inhibition of Lipopolysaccharide-Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase, $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$ and COX-2 Expression by Flower and Whole Plant of Lonicera japonica (금은화(金銀花) 및 금은화전초(金銀花全草)가 Raw 264.7 cell에서 LPS로 유도된 NO의 생성, iNOS, COX-2 및 cytokine에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Dong-Eun;Lee, Jae-Ryung;Kim, Young-Woo;Kwon, Young-Kyu;Byun, Sung-Hui;Shin, Sang-Woo;Suh, Seong-Il;Kwon, Taeg-Kyu;Byun, Joon-Seok;Kim, Sang-Chan
    • Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.481-489
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    • 2005
  • Lonicerae Flos has antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, pneumococci, Bacillus dysenterii, Salmonella typhi, and paratyphoid. It is an antiviral agent. The herb has a cytoprotective effect against $CCl_{4}-induced$ hepatic injury. It has antilipemic action, interfering with lipid absorption from the gut. Nowadays this herb is used mainly in the treatment of upper respiratory infections, such as tonsillitis and acute laryngitis. It is also used in the treatment of skin suppurations, such as carbuncles, and to treat viral conjunctivitis, influenza, pneumonia, and mastitis. Lonicerae Flos is dried flower buds of Lonicera japonica, L. hypoglauca, L. confusa, or L. dasystyla. But, for the most part, we use whole plant of Lonicera japonica, as a flower bud of it. And, little is known of the original copy of effects of whole plant, except for the 'Bon-Cho-Gang-Mok', which is written the effects of flower of Lonicera japonica are equal to effects of leaves and branch of it. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica on the regulatory mechanism of cytokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) for the immunological activities in Raw 264.7 cells. In Raw 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic inflammation, flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extracts inhibited nitric oxide production in a dose-dependent manner and abrogated iNOS and COX-2. Flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extract did not affect on cell viability. To investigate the mechanism by which flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extract inhibits iNOS and COX-2 gene expression, we examined the on phosphorylation of inhibitor ${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and assessed production of $TNF-{\alpha}$, $interleukin-1{\beta}$ $(IL-1{\beta})$ and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Results provided evidence that flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica inhibited the production of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and activated the phosphorylation of inhibitor ${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ in Raw 264.7 cells activated with LPS. These findings suggest that flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica can produce anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections, respectively.

Synthesis of trans-(3R,5S)-Atorvastatin Ca and Curative Effect on Hyperlipidemia Induced by a High-Fat Diet in Rats (trans-(3R,5S)-Atorvastatin Ca의 합성 및 Rat에서 고지방식이로 유도된 고지혈증 치료효과)

  • Choi, Won-Sik;Nam, Seok-Woo;Lee, Gyung-Rak
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.12 no.11
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    • pp.4940-4950
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    • 2011
  • cis-(3R,5R)-Atorvastatin Ca (1) used for hyperlipidemia have four stereomers. However, It is very difficult to prepare stereoselective stereomers. In this paper, the reduction of 3,5-diketo atorvastatin ester (3) was performed using $Me_4NHB(OAc)_3$ in acetic acid as a reductant and showed excellent stereoselectivity in the double reduction of 3,5-diketo atorvastatin ester (3). As a result, reduction of compound 3 by $Me_4NHB(OAc)_3$ was purely obtained with cis-(3R,5R)-atorvastatin ester (4) of 1.5% and trans-(3R,5S)-atorvastatin ester (5) of 98.5%. Also, cis-(3R,5R)-atorvastatin Ca (1) and trans-(3R,5S)-atorvastatin Ca (7) were used to determine efficacy in the treatment of liver damage and hyperlipidemia induced by a high-fat diet in rats and to study the performance of the January 2010 experient was conducted. As a result, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglyceride (TG) levels of compound 1 and 7 groups were $93.0{\pm}0.5$, $43.5{\pm}0.8$, $40.4{\pm}1.4$, $45.6{\pm}0.9\;mg/d{\ell}$ and $110.0{\pm}0.7$, $33.3{\pm}0.6$, $65.8{\pm}1.9$, $54.8{\pm}1.2\;mg/d{\ell}$, respectively. Atherogenic index (AI) and cardiac risk factor (CRF) in compound 1 and 7 were $1.14{\pm}0.05$, $2.14{\pm}0.05$ and $2.31{\pm}0.06$, $3.31{\pm}0.06$, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were $51.9{\pm}4.6$, $16.0{\pm}2.1\;IU/{\ell}$ and $75.8{\pm}4.4$, $35.1{\pm}9.7\;IU/{\ell}$. Taken together, while compound 1 treat against high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia by attenuating hepatic lipid depots and reducing oxidative stress, compound 7 group had a low curative effect on hyperlipidemia induced by a high-fat diet in rats. These findings suggest that new method about synthesis of stereoselective stereomers and indicate that it may consider using in a clinical trial.

Effects of Dietary Zinc Supplements on the Antioxidant Indicators and the Expression of Zinc Transport Genes in Korean Native Chicks (한국 재래닭에서 아연 보충급여가 항산화 지표 및 아연 운반 유전자 발현에 미치는 영향)

  • Jeon, Dong-Gyung;Kim, Min-Jeong;Yoon, Il-Gyu;Ahn, Ho-Sung;Sohn, Sea-Hwan;Jang, In-Surk
    • Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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    • v.46 no.3
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    • pp.161-171
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    • 2019
  • Four-week-old male Korean native chicks (KNC) were assigned to 3 groups with 6 replicates (8 birds/replicate) in each group: a basal diet (CON, 100 ppm of Zn), basal diet fortified with 50 ppm of Zn with zinc oxide (ZnO), or basal diet fortified with 50 ppm of Zn with Zn-methionine (ZnM). Immediately after a 4-week-feeding trial, 6 birds per group were used to evaluate the effects of zinc supplements on antioxidant indicators and the mRNA expression of zinc transport genes. The nitrogen components, lipid peroxidation, and total antioxidant status in blood were not influenced by Zn fortified diets. However, the ZnM group showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in uric acid levels than those in the ZnO group. In the small intestine, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were unaffected by zinc supplements. The activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) was significantly (P<0.05) enhanced by Zn-methionine supplementation. In the liver, the activity of GST was significantly (P<0.05) increased by Zn-methionine supplement without affecting SOD, GPX, and MDA levels. With respect to the mRNA expression of zinc transport genes, the ZnM group displayed a strong tendency for increases in intestinal ZnT-1 (P=0.09) and ZnT-5 (P=0.06) levels, compared to those in the CON group. Moreover, the ZnM group showed a tendency (P=0.10) for up-regulation of hepatic metallothionein mRNA as compared with the CON group. In conclusion, the Zn-fortified diet with 50 ppm of Zn-methionine helped to improve GST activity and Zn transport gene expression in the small intestine or liver of KNC.