• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.259-265
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• 2011

Several compounds and extracts isolated from a brown alga, Ishige (I.) okamurae, exhibit anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The present study investigated whether the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of I. okamurae (EFIO) could ameliorate carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_{4}$)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered with EFIO at 10 or 50 mg/kg per day for 2 consecutive days before $CCl_{4}$ injection (3.3 mL/kg, i.p.). Twenty four hours later, the rats were anesthesized with diethyl ether and dissected. Pretreatment with EFIO significantly reduced the increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in $CCl_{4}$-treated rats. Pretreatment with EFIO also significantly inhibited the reduced activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the $CCl_{4}$-injured liver. Histopathological evaluations showed that hemorrhage, hepatocyte necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and fatty degeneration induced by $CCl_{4}$ treatment were ameliorated by the administration of EFIO. Additionally, liver immunohistochemical analyses revealed the marked reduction in ED1-positive monocyte-like macrophages in EFIO-pretreated rats given $CCl_{4}$. These results suggest that EFIO ameliorates $CCl_{4}$-induced liver injury, possibly through the inhibition of oxidative stress.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.280-287
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• 2015

Probiotics are microbial food supplements or components of bacteria which have traditionally been added to dairy foods for extra health boost. Our aim was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of Bifidobacterium adolescentis SPM0212 as probiotics, which we previously found has potential anti-hepatitis B virus activity. The study was conducted using Wistar albino rats and probiotics were treated orally for 9 days consecutively and acute liver injury was induced by administration of carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) on the 7th and 8th days. Liver damage was assessed by quantifying serum activities of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), as well as by histopathological examination. B. adolescentis SPM0212 significantly prevented the elevation of SGOT and SGPT levels, and reduced the negative effect of $CCl_4$ on body and organ weights. Histopathological study revealed the livers of the carbon tetrachloride treated rats showed almost complete loss of normal hepatocyte architecture, but that rats treated with B. adolescentis SPM0212 showed minimal damage and normal hepatocyte architecture. Our results suggest that B. adolescentis SPM0212 be considered useful probiotics for protecting the liver from xenobiotics and hepatitis B virus, and as well as useful as a functional food for maintaining human health.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.325-330
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• 2009

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is still common disease among the elderly patients in Korea where the overall incidence of TB is decreasing. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) associated with anti-TB drugs occurs frequently. Especially the aged tends to have more frequent ADRs than younger ones. These ADRs can cause significant morbidity, compromise therapeutic effects of drugs and even induce drug resistance. Therefore we evaluated the effect of ADRs on the first-line anti-TB drugs in elderly patients with active pulmonary TB. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts and radiological findings of the patients with 65 and older who were bacteriologically confirmed as active TB and treated with standard anti-TB drugs for at least 6 months. Major ADR was defined with temporary or continuous stop of any first-line drugs intake. Results: An ADR was noted in 54% of all patients. The incidence of major ADR was 32% in all elderly patients. Dermatologic ADR (9%) was the most common among the major ADRs. GI trouble (8%), arthralgia (6%), visual change (6%), hepatotoxicity (4%), and fever (1%) were also noted. The drugs responsible for major ADR were ethambutol (62%), pyrazinamide (35%), rifampin (18%) and isoniazid (9%). Major ADRs were associated with higher ESR level at the initiation of anti-TB drugs. Conclusion: First-line anti-TB drugs in elderly patients frequently caused the major ADRs. Therefore the elderly patients receiving anti-TB drugs should be closely monitored and better tolerable therapy should be considered as part of a TB research agenda.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.30-45
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• 2009

Background: The safety of herbal products is an important issue in Korea. It is more complicated because of the concomitant use of conventional western drugs and herbal medicine, including prescribed medicine, folk herbs and food supplements. Although both western and traditional Korean medical doctors have studied on the safety of HMP, their results did not show relevant or consistent conclusions because of the poor quality of studies, including bias. Objectives: The aim of this study was to review the studies in Korea related to drug induced liver injury (DILI) systematically. We tried to estimate the proportion of causative materials of DILI and evaluate the clinical difference of DILIs from different materials. Methods: Systematic searches were performed on MedRIC and MEDLIS in Korea. The extraction of data as well as selective screening of the studies was carried out independently by two of the authors. There were no restrictions on the types of publication, including grey literature. Results: Twenty-one articles were included. Of them only 7 adapted prospective design and only 6 were published in peer-reviewed journals. The proportion of conventional drugs associated with hepatotoxic injuries in all DILI ranged from 15.8% to 83.3% and that of herbal medicine was from 28.9% to 44.7%. However, the criteria for herbal medicine were not clearly defined and concomitant medications were not fully investigated in most studies. There were limited objective data in the clinical differences of liver injuries from different materials and their results were conflicting. Conclusions: The causality assessments regarding DILI of herbal medicine were not performed properly and causative materials were misclassified in most of the studies published in Korea. These make the safety issue still ambiguous because of the limitations and lack of objectivity of the studies. More rigorous studies are required for clearly addressing these conflicting issues with cooperative investigation between traditional Korean and western medicine.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2001

Background: A previous study has shown that Euonymus alatus (EA) has an antidotic activities against inflammation, suggesting possibility that EA can exert this beneficial effects to liver injury by an initial protection against drug-induced hepatocyte demage. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the protective effect of EA-extract on experimentally induced hepatitis in ICR mice and to investigate some mechanisms responsible for its action. Methods: Water EA extract was used in this experiments. The mice received i.p. a dose of 700 mg/kg galactosamine (GalN) together with $5{\mu}g/kg$ of endotoxin (LPS), or received i.v. 12 mg/kg of concanavalin A (Con A). EA (4 mg/mouse) was administrated on day -2, -1 and 0 before induction of liver injury. Liver injury was assessed by measurement of serum alanin amino-transferase (SGPT) levels on 9 hr after GaIN.LPS, or 8 hr after con A administration. Results: Treatment with either GaIN or LPS alone did not cause hepatitis. However, simultaneous administration of GalN and LPS to mice resulted in LPS-dose dependent fulminant hepatitis. GaLN/LPS-induced liver injury was reduced when mice were given EA for 3 days before induction. This preventive effect of Ea was more prominent when EA was given by intraperitoneal route rather then by oral route. Pretreatment of EA or dexamethasone inhibited significantly $TNF{\alpha}$ production in GalL/LPS-injured mice. However, EA-treatment did not influence $TNF{\alpha}$-induced hepatitis in GalN-sensitized mice, suggesting that $TNF{\alpha}$ is likely to act as one of final mediators of endotoxin action and the protective effect of EA might be manifested chiefly by inhibition of endotoxin-induced $TNF{\alpha}$ production, not by blocking the $TNF{\alpha}$-action. Injection of Con A into mice evoked remarkable liver injury in a dose dependent fashion. This liver damage was reduced by EA-pretreatment. Dexamethasone significantly reduced both GalL/LPS-induced and Con A-induced liver damages, showing synergism with EA. However, indomethacin reduced only GalN/ LPS-induced hepatitis, not for Con A-induced hepatitis. Conclusion: These results led to the conclusion that EA may be able to contribute at least in part to prevent the drug-induced hepatotoxicity, and that its anti-hepatitis effects might be manifested directly by modulation of endogenous mediators, such as leukotriese D4, $TNF{\alpha}$ and free radical, and indirectly by regulation of immune mediated responses. Also these results suggested that EA could be developed as a potential antidotic agent.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.92-97
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• 2002

The effects of Pueraria flos (PF) and Pueraria radix (PR) water extract on the hepatic alcohol metabolic enzyme activities were examined in rats that were orally administered ethanol (25% v/v, 5g/kg body weight/day) for 5 weeks. The PF and PR water extract were supplemented in a diet, based on 1.2 g or 2.4 g of raw PF or PR/kg body weight/body. Alcohol administration without the PF or PR supplementation significantly decreased net weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency ratio. However. both dose of the PF of PR supplementation resulted in significant enhancement of growth and suppression of increased relative weight of liver, brain and heart by alcohol administration. Activities of hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase and microsomal ethanol oxidizing system were higher in the alcohol treated group than in the normal group, while aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was significantly lowered in the alcohol treated group. The hepatic metabolic enzyme activities altered by alcohol administration were normalized by both doses of PF or PR supplement. Hepatic monoamine oxidase activity and hydrogen peroxide, which were significantly higher in the alcohol treated group than in the normal group, were also decreased by the supplementation with either PF or PR. These results indicate that low-or high-supplementation of either water extract PF or PR may alleviate ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity by altering alcohol metabolic enzyme activities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.847-852
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• 2008

In order to determine the effects of puffing red ginseng (PRG) powder on the antioxidant enzyme activities of hepatotoxicity in benzo($\alpha$) pyrene[B($\alpha$)P]-treated mice, the mice were divided into 5 groups. The dried red ginseng were prepared by puffing conditions of moisture content 10% and puffing pressure $5\;kgf/cm^2$, and then powdered. PRG powder was injected i.p. once a day for 5 successive days, followed by the administration of B($\alpha$)P treatment on the fifth day. We also evaluated the relationship between lipid peroxidation and PRG powder on oxidative stress. The increased activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase observed following B($\alpha$)P-treatment were reduced by the treatment of PRG powder. Whereas the glutathione content and glutathione S-transferase activity depleted by B $\alpha$)P were significantly increased, the B($\alpha$)P-associated elevation of cytochrome P-450 activities and lipid peroxide content were reduced as the result of PRG powder treatment. Especially, PRG powder had higher antioxidant activities than RG powder. These results suggest that puffing red ginseng powder can protect against B($\alpha$)P intoxicification through its antioxidant properties.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.1391-1397
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• 2016

We investigated the hepatoprotective effects of Angelica keiskei Koidzumi extract (AK) in HepG2-overexpressing cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) and C57BL/6J mice. In HepG2 cells expressing CYP2E1, cell viability and catalase activity in the ethanol-AK co-treated group significantly increased compared to those in the ethanol-treated group. In the in vivo study with C57BL/6J mice, the AK-supplemented group with ethanol liquid diet showed significantly reduced hepatic markers, including serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and ${\gamma}$-glutamyl transferase, compared to the ethanol group without AK supplementation. AK supplementation (20 mg/kg BW/d) also significantly attenuated reactive oxygen species generation and malondialdehyde level. Notably, a low dose of AK supplementation (20 mg/kg BW/d) suppressed expression of hepatic CYP2E1 and inhibited CYP2E1 enzyme activity. These data indicate that a low dose of AK supplementation could restrain alcohol-induced hepatic damage mediated by CYP2E1.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.706-711
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• 2009

Hepatoprotective effects of corn gluten hydrolysates (CGH) were investigated in rats orally treated with ethanol (30%(v/v), 3 g/kg body weight/day) for 4 weeks. Six-week old Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into four dietary groups: normal diet (N), alcohol diet (E), E+CGH 1% diet (CGH-1%), and E+CGH 3% diet (CGH-3%). Body weights and liver indices were not significantly different among the four groups. However, food intakes were lower in the CGH groups than in the normal group (p<0.05). The administration of CGH significantly reduced serum alkaline phosphatase activity by 30% compared to the alcohol diet group. Among the antioxidative enzymes assessed, catalase activity was significantly decreased by 79% in the CGH diet groups compared to the alcohol diet group. In comparison to the alcohol-treated group, aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was increased by 20%, while microsomal ethanol oxidizing system activity was decreased by 20% in the CGH-treated groups. Furthermore, the area under the curve of the blood acetaldehyde concentration versus time profile after the administration of ethanol was significantly lower for the CGH rats than for the ethanol or asparaginic acid treated groups. Thus, CGH seems to offer beneficial effects by protecting against ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity by improving the acetaldehyde-related metabolizing system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1282-1288
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• 2016

Artemisia, a plant widely used as traditional herbal medicine in many countries, has drawn attention of the researchers. And its extracts or compounds are known to have an efficacy of antioxidant, anti-diabete, anti-cancer, anti-inflammation and neuroprotection. Sumaeyaksuk is a variant of the Artemisia argyi and major constituents are eupatilin and jaceosidin. This study was performed to investigate the effects of the sumaeyaksuk aqueous extract on inflammatory response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. To examine the potential hepatoprotective properties of sumaeyaksuk extract, cell viability, as well as nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels, alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities, were measured. Cytotoxic activity of extracts on HepG2 cells was measured by MTT assay. Sumaeyaksuk extract did not induce cytotoxicity at concentrations of $0{\sim}400{\mu}g/mL$. NO and ROS levels significantly decreased with increasing concentration of the extract. The secretion levels of M-CSF and IL-8 were suppressed by sumaeyaksuk extract in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, ALT (75.4%) and AST (61.6%) levels significantly decreased in sumaeyaksuk extract-treated cells at $400{\mu}g/mL$. These results suggested that the sumaeyaksuk extract attenuates the LPS-induced hepatotoxicity resulting from regulation of inflammatory factors and could potentially be used as a hepatitis therapeutic agent.