• Toxicological Research
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.267-273
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• 2006

Tungtungmadic acid(3-caffeoyl, 4-dihydrocaffeoyl quinic acid: CDCQ) is a new chlorogenic acid derivative isolated from the Salicornia herbacea. The suppressive effects of CDCQ on the progress of acute carbon tetrachloride($CCl_4$)-induced hepatic fibrosis were investigated in mice. CDCQ significantly suppressed $CCl_4$-induced hepatic necrosis and inflammation, as determined by serum enzymatic activities of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase and serum TNF-$\alpha$ levels in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, increased hepatic lipid peroxidation and fibrosis after acute $CCl_4$ treatment were suppressed by the administration of CDCQ. CDCQ also significantly prevented the elevation of hepatic hydroxyproline and collagen content and ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin(${\alpha}$-SMA) expression in the liver of $CCl_4$-intoxicated mice. These results suggest that the suppressive effects of CDCQ against the acute $CCl_4$-induced hepatic fibrosis possibly related to its ability to block both hepatic inflammation and the activation of hepatic stellate cells.

• BMB Reports
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• 제49권2호
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• pp.105-110
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• 2016

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a natural, hydrophilic nontoxic bile acid, is clinically effective for treating cholestatic and chronic liver diseases. We investigated the chronic effects of UDCA on age-related lipid homeostasis and underlying molecular mechanisms. Twenty-week-old C57BL/6 male and female mice were fed a diet with or without 0.3% UDCA supplementation for 25 weeks. UDCA significantly reduced weight gain, adiposity, hepatic triglyceride, and hepatic cholesterol without incidental hepatic injury. UDCA-mediated hepatic triglyceride reduction was associated with downregulated hepatic expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, and of other genes involved in lipogenesis (Chrebp, Acaca, Fasn, Scd1, and Me1) and fatty acid uptake (Ldlr, Cd36). The inflammatory cytokines Tnfa, Ccl2, and Il6 were significantly decreased in liver and/or white adipose tissues of UDCA-fed mice. These data suggest that UDCA exerts beneficial effects on age-related metabolic disorders by lowering the hepatic lipid accumulation, while concurrently reducing hepatocyte and adipocyte susceptibility to inflammatory stimuli.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.207-217
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• 2013

This study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of Artemisia capillaris (AC) extract on disorders of hepatic functions and lipid metabolism induced by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), an endocrine disrupter, using male rats (SD, five weeks old) for a period of three weeks. These 37 animals were divided into four groups. AC extract was added as 1.5% or 3% levels to basal diets, respectively. TCDD (40 ug/kg B.W) was administered by intraperitoneal injection into rats after a week from the beginning of the experiment. AC extract alleviated the increase of rat's relative liver weights induced by TCDD. Thymuses of all rats treated with TCDD were apparently shrunken by approximately 80%. Levels of white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrits were significantly increased by treatment with TCDD, however, WBC tended to decrease by AC extract diets. In hepatic function, the elevation of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activities by TCDD treatment was diminished by AC extract diets. Serum HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly elevated by AC extract diets. The apparent increase of triglyceride levels of rat livers induced by TCDD was significantly suppressed in the AC extract diet groups. Hepatic cytosolic catalase activities significantly decreased by treatment with TCDD showed a recovering trend by AC extract diets. In histochemical observation, the fat droplets and apoptosis of hepatocytes treated with TCDD were markedly alleviated by AC extract diets. These results indicated that AC could exert recovering effects on some disorders of hepatic functions, lipids metabolism, and antioxidant activities resulting from TCDD treatment.

• BMB Reports
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.237-242
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• 2003

Hepatic lipase is a key enzyme that is involved in HDL-C metabolism. The goal of this study was to find out the frequency of the hepatic lipase C514T polymorphism, and evaluate its relationship with plasma HDL-C levels and coronary artery disease (CAD) in Koreans. Two hundred and twenty four subjects with no previous history of lipid-lowering therapy, 118 patients with significant CAD, and 106 controls were examined with respect to their genotypes, lipid profiles, and other risk factors for CAD. The frequency of the -514T allele was 0.37 in men and 0.35 in women, which were higher than the frequency that was reported in Caucasians, but lower than the frequency that was reported in African-Americans. The -514T allele was associated with significantly higher HDL-C levels in women. After controlling for age, gender, BMI, DM, and smoking, the non-CC genotype was significantly associated with HDL-C levels, and explained 6% of the HDL-C variation in this study. When the genotypes-distribution was compared between the CAD and non-CAD patients, the hepatic lipase C-514T polymorphism was not associated with the presence of CAD. Koreans have a higher frequency of the hepatic lipase gene 514T allele than Caucasians, and the -514T allele is associated with higher plasma HDL-C levels in Korean women, and perhaps non-smoking men. However, our data does not suggest an association between the polymorphism and an increased risk of CAD.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.15-29
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• 1973

Albio rats right after weaning, weighing $50{\sim}55g$, were divided into the control, high-carbohydrate-, high-lipid-, and high-protein-fed groups. and were fed for 12 weeks with the respective diets to observe the increase in body weights as well as changes in the chemical constituentes and enzyme activities in the liver tissue, with the following results. (1) There was little difference in the rate of increase in the body weights among the groups, showing normal growth, except the high-protein-fed group which showed decrease in rate of body weight increase from the 7th week after feeding. (2) The liver weight was either increased after 12 weeks of feeding with the high-carbohydrate and high-Lipid diets, or showed no difference with the high-protein diet, as compared to the control weight. (3) The liver cytosol protein content was increased when fed with the high-protein diet, but decreased when fed with the high-carbohydrate and high lipid diets, as compared to the control content. (4) The triglyceride and cholesterol contents in the liver were decreased in the high-protein-fed group, but increased markedly in the high-carbohydrate- and high-lipid-fed groups as compared to the control values. (5) The hepatic glucokinase, G6PD, LDH, and fatty acid synthetase activities were increased in the high-carbohydrate and high-lipid-fed groups, and GOT and CPT activities were increased in the high-protein-fed group. From the above results. it was known that the high-carbohydrate and high-lipid diets stimulated the hepatic lipid metabolism, giving rise to lipogenesis, but the high- protein diet could prevent the lipogeuesis leading to the body weight increase.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제36권5호
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• pp.425-436
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• 2003

The present study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of common Korean legumes as a high-fiber supplement in therapeutic diets for diabetic patients. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were used as animal models and four kinds of legumes, black soybean (BS), yellow soybean (YS), green pea (GP) and soybean curd residue (SCR) were tested as high-fiber supplements. Seven groups of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were fed isocaloric experimental diets containing 8％ dietary fiber from one of four legumes or purified cellulose and pectin for 6 weeks. The effects of the legumes on the glucose and lipid metabolism of diabetic rats was examined and compared with the effects of cellulose and pectin. The legume supplementation did not show any beneficial effect on glucose tolerance, however, it exhibited a plasma cholesterol-lowering effect in diabetic rats. The cholesterol-lowering action was especially strong in BS and the degree of the effect was comparable to that of pectin. The levels of total lipids, cholesterol, and triglyceride in the hepatic tissues of rats fed legume diets were similar to those of the pectin group. All legume supplements induced an increase in fecal steroid excretion. The fecal cholesterol contents were significantly high following the supplementations of YS and SCR (p < 0.05). The excretion of fecal bile acids in the BS and YS groups was significantly higher than it was in the pectin group (p < 0.05). Concentration of lipid peroxidation products in the blood and urine of diabetic animals was lower in the legume groups than in the cellulose group. The levels of hepatic lipid peroxidation products were significantly lower in the BS and YS groups than in the pectin group (p < 0.05). From the results of this study, the plasma cholesterol-lowering effect of BS is possibly due to the significant (p < 0.05) in-crease in fecal steroid excretion, which suggests that BS could be beneficial in improving abnormal lipid metabolism in diabetic rats. (Korean J Nutrition 36(5): 425∼436, 2003)

• Nutritional Sciences
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.79-84
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• 2001

The influence of Rhodiola extract on tissue antioxidant status, plasma lipid levels, cholesterol contents of liver and fores were investigated in rats find oxidized linoleic acid. Groups of five-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats fed ad libitum with a diet containing 20% oxidized linoleic acid with or without 300 mg/kg body weight freeze-dried Rhodiola water extract. The antioxidant effect of dietary Rhodiola extract supplementation on the peroxidation potential of rats was investigated. The microsomal thiobarbiruric acid reactive substance (TBARS) contents were changed significantly by Rhodiola extract supplementation. Hepatic Catalase activities were increased in Rhodiola supplemented rats, whereas hepatic Manganese Superoxide Dismutase (MnSOD) or Copper Zinc Superoxide Dismutase (CuZnSOD) were not elevated. In addition, plasma cholesterol lowering effect was observed along with the stimulated excretion of cholesterol through the feces were observed with Rhodiola feeding. Supplementation with Rhodiola extract did not alter high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. These results support that Rhodiola extract may be effective in protection against oxidative stress, and prevention and treatment of blood dyslipidemia. It demonstntes that Rhodiola extract has a potential to exert anti-atherogenic properties antioxidative capacities .

• BMB Reports
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.166-171
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• 2001

The levels of $\gamma$-aminobutyric acid (GAGA) have been analyzed from pharbitis seeds by an AccQ-Tag amino acid analysis procedure. The GABA level of the pharbitis seeds was 125 nmole per gram fresh weight. To investigate the effects of pharbitis seed diets on serum and hepatic lipid levels, as well as enzyme activities of rats administered with ethanol chronically, Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed with either a AIN-76 diet (control), a control diet plus ethanol, a control plus pharbitis seed diet, or a control plus pharbitis seed diet plus ethanol for 30 days. Pharbitis seed diets decreased the serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, and $\gamma$-GTP levels that were increased by the chronic ethanol administration. In addition, pharbitis seed diets decreased the liver triglyceride and total lipid levels that were increased by the ethanol administration. However, ethanol metabolism was not retarded by the pharbitis seed supplemented diets. The present Endings, plus previous data showing the differences in the effects of cabbage diets having a high or a low level of GABA on the lipid levels and the enzyme activities of rats (Cha and Oh [2000] J. Korean Soc. Food Sci. Nutr. 29, 500-505), raise the possibility that GABA in plants could have a nutraceutical role in the recovery of chronic alcohol-related diseases.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제36권7호
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• pp.667-674
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• 2003

The study was performed to investigate the effects of isoflavone and/or grape seed oil supplementation on serum and liver lipid profiles and bone strength in ovariectomized female rats. Female Spraque-Dawley rats were assigned into 4 groups of ovariectomized (O), isoflavone (0.085 mg/100 g b.w/day) in ovariectomized rats, grape seed oil in ovariectomized rats and isoflavone and/or grape seed oil in ovariectomized rats. After 8 weeks, biochemical profiles of serum, liver and bone were analyzed. Total food intakes, body weight gains and FER (food efficiency ratio) were not statistically significantly different among groups. Total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol levels in serum were decreased by fed of isoflavone and/or grape seed oils. However, crude lipid and total cholesterol contents in liver were not affect of isoflavone and/or grape seed oil. The hepatic glutathione contents were increased by isoflavone and/or grape seed oil fed. The hepatic glutathione-S-transferase activity in isoflavone and/or grape seed oil supplemented groups were higher than that O group. Bone (scapular and femur bone) dry weight, femur of max weight and bending strength were no significant difference among groups. Our finding suggest that isoflavone/grape seed oils might have potential role for serum lipid profiles improvement and bone strength in vivo.

• 한국응용과학기술학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.204-213
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• 2004

Extraction of Sedum sarmentosum Bunge by super critical carbon dioxide was operated under $40-50^{\circ}C$and 200-250 atm, thus, yield of extraction was very low as 4 wt%. Rats were administrated with the extract orally once a day for succesive 6 days, followed by treatment with carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) on the sixth day. The activities of aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, ${\gamma}$-glutamyl transpeptidase, lactate dehydrogenase and contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol in the extract-pretreated rats were decreased compared to the $CCl_4$controled rats, whereas content of HDL-cholesterol was increased. Especially content of hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) and atherogenic index (AI) were decreased and HTR was increased in the extract-pretreated rats, and reduced peroxidative liver damage in the $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity rats. In addition, activities of hepatic superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase in the extract-pretreated rats were significantly decreased compared to the $CCl_4$ controled rats, but the content of glutathione was significantly increased. These results suggest that extract of Sedum sarmentosum Bunge has hepatoprotective effect in the $CCl_4$-intoxicated rats.