• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.431-443
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Nobiletin (NOB), a citrus flavonoid, is reported to have beneficial effects on cardiovascular and metabolic health. However, there is limited research investigating the effect of long-term supplementation with low-dose NOB on high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced hypercholesterolemia and non-obese nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, we investigated the influence of NOB on hypercholesterolemia and NAFLD in HCD-fed mice. SUBJECTS/METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet (ND) or HCD (35 kcal% fat, 1.25% cholesterol, 0.5% cholic acid) with or without NOB (0.02%) for 20 weeks. RESULTS: HCD feeding markedly reduced the final body weight compared to ND feeding, with no apparent energy intake differences. NOB supplementation suppressed HCD-induced weight loss without altering energy intake. Moreover, NOB significantly decreased the total cholesterol (TC) levels and the low-density lipoprotein (LDL)/very-LDL-cholesterol to TC ratio, and increased the high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol/TC ratio in plasma, compared to those for HCD feeding alone. The plasma levels of inflammatory and atherosclerosis markers (C-reactive protein, oxidized LDL, interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) were significantly lower, whereas those of anti-atherogenic adiponectin and paraoxonase were higher in the NOB-supplemented group than in the HCD control group. Furthermore, NOB significantly decreased liver weight, hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride contents, and lipid droplet accumulation by inhibiting messenger RNA expression of hepatic genes and activity levels of cholesterol synthesis-, esterification-, and fatty acid synthesis-associated enzymes, concomitantly enhancing fatty acid oxidation-related gene expression and enzyme activities. Dietary NOB supplementation may protect against hypercholesterolemia and NAFLD via regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism in HCD-fed mice; these effects are associated with the amelioration of inflammation and reductions in the levels of atherosclerosis-associated cardiovascular markers. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that NOB may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of HCD-induced hypercholesterolemia and NAFLD.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.365-372
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Owing to health concerns related to the consumption of traditional snacks high in sugars and fats, much effort has been made to develop functional snacks with low calorie content. In this study, a new recipe for Korean rice cookie, dasik, was developed and its antioxidative, lipid-lowering, and anti-inflammatory effects and related mechanisms were elucidated. The effects were compared with those of traditional rice cake dasik (RCD), the lipid-lowering effect of which is greater than that of traditional western-style cookies. MATERIALS/METHODS: Ginseng-added brown rice dasik (GBRD) was prepared with brown rice flour, fructooligosaccharide, red ginseng extract, and propolis. Mice were grouped (n = 7 per group) into those fed a normal AIN-76 diet, a high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD supplemented with RCD or GBRD. Dasik in the HFD accounted for 7% of the total calories. The lipid, reactive oxygen species, and peroxynitrite levels, and degree of lipid peroxidation in the plasma or liver were determined. The expression levels of proteins involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation, and those of antioxidant enzymes were determined by western blot analysis. RESULTS: The plasma and hepatic total cholesterol concentrations in the GBRD group were significantly decreased via downregulation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (P < 0.05). The hepatic peroxynitrite level was significantly lower, whereas glutathione was higher, in the GBRD group than in the RCD group. Among the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly upregulated in the GBRD group (P < 0.05). In addition, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-${\kappa}B$) expression in the GBRD group was significantly lower than that in the RCD group. CONCLUSIONS: GBRD decreases the plasma and hepatic cholesterol levels by downregulating cholesterol synthesis. This new dasik recipe also improves the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory status in HFD-fed mice via CAT and GPx upregulation and NF-${\kappa}B$ downregulation. These effects were significantly higher than those of RCD.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2022

Purpose: Quercetin is a polyphenolic flavonoid abundant in many fruits and vegetables. It has potential health-beneficial properties, such as antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the lipid metabolism improvement effect of quercetin affected the regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and microRNA (miR)-21 expression in the liver of mice fed a high-cholesterol diet. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with normal diet, quercetin-free diet and diets containing 0.05% or 0.1% quercetin for six weeks. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by adding 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid to all diets. Serum and liver triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) concentrations were analyzed using a commercial enzymatic colorimetric kit. AMPK activity was quantified using an AMPK kinase assay kit. The levels of miR-21 and genes involved in lipid metabolism were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Supplementation of quercetin reduced serum and hepatic TG and TC levels without changing body weight and food intake. Dietary quercetin significantly inhibited the mRNA levels of hepatic sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1c, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and fatty acid synthesis, which are involved in hepatic lipogenesis. Dietary quercetin enhanced AMPK activity and suppressed miR-21 expression, promoting hepatic lipid accumulation. Conclusion: These results suggest that the lipid-lowering effect of quercetin on the serum and liver of mice may be partially mediated by the regulation of lipogenic gene expression, AMPK activity and miR-21 expression in the liver of mice fed a high-cholesterol diet.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1932-1941
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• 2017

DFC-2, a methyl 5-[2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy]-7,12-dioxo-7,12-dihydrodinaphtho[1,2-b:2',3'-d]furan-6-carboxylate, is reported to have antitubercular effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. At concentrations ranging from 0.19 to $0.39{\mu}g/ml$, DFC-2 inhibited both drugusceptible and -resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. Microarray analyses were employed to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of DFC-2's action in M. tuberculosis. The most affected functional gene category was "lipid biosynthesis," which is involved in mycolic acid synthesis. The decrease in transcription of genes related to mycolic acid synthesis was confirmed by RT-PCR. Furthermore, we found that DFC-2 triggered a reduction in mycolic acid levels, showing a similar pattern to that of mycolic acid synthesis inhibitor isoniazid. These results may explain how this compound kills mycobacteria efficiently by inhibiting mycolic acid synthesis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1181-1188
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to evaluate protein expression patterns of liver in response to subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) induced by high-concentrate diet. Sixteen healthy mid-lactating goats were randomly divided into 2 groups and fed either a high-forage (HF) diet or a high-concentrate (HC) diet. The HC diet was expected to induce SARA. After ensuring the occurrence of SARA, liver samples were collected. Proteome analysis with differential in gel electrophoresis technology revealed that, 15 proteins were significantly modulated in liver in a comparison between HF and HC-fed goats. These proteins were found mainly associated with metabolism and energy transfer after identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight. The results indicated that glucose, lipid and protein catabolism could be enhanced when SARA occurred. It prompted that glucose, lipid and amine acid in the liver mainly participated in oxidation and energy supply when SARA occurred, which possibly consumed more precursors involved in milk protein and milk fat synthesis. These results suggest new candidate proteins that may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms that mediate liver adaptation to SARA.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.385-392
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• 1999

The $NAD^+$-specific activity of a dual coenzyme-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH; EC 1.1.1.41) from the primitive fungus Pythium ultimum was investigated to elucidate the regulatory factors that may influence the intracellular distribution of carbon and the availability of intermediates, e.g. citrate, for fatty acid synthesis. Inhibition of $NAD^+$-IDH activity by diphospho- and triphosphonucleotides (ATP, ADP, and GTP) reflected the sensitivity of this enzyme to cellular energy charge even though monophosphonucleotides (AMP and GMP) had little effect on activity. NADPH, but not NADH, substantially inhibited $NAD^+$-IDH activity, showing noncompetitive inhibition with isocitrate. Oxalacetate and ${\alpha}$-ketoglutarate showed competitive inhibition with isocitrate, while citrate and cis-aconitate showed mixed-noncompetitive inhibition with isocitrate. Inhibition by these substances ranged from 29 to 46% at 10 mM. The inhibitory effect of oxalacetate was increased synergistically by glyoxylate, which alone caused 31% uncompetitive inhibition at 10 mM, and a mixture of the two substances at 1 mM each showed 98% inhibition of $NAD^+$-IDH activity. The regulation of $NAD^+$-IDH in Pythium ultimum seems to be a complex process involving mitochondrial metabolites. The addition of glyoxylate (3 mM) and oxalacetate (3 mM) to the culture medium resulted in the production of 49% more lipid by P. ultimum.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.357-364
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• 2009

Phospholipids are crucially important in a cell membrane function and could thereby influence antibiotic susceptibility. In order to investigate the antifungal mechanism the total lipid was extracted from C. albicans treated with citronellol or thymol in concentration of their minimum inhibiting concentration and the changes in phospholipids composition were analyzed using ketoconazole as control. The cell growth and total lipid synthesis in cell walls of C. albicans were inhibited by treatment with citronellol. The levels of total lipids were decreased by 35.85% compared to the control. They also showed a significant decrease in the contents of phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine(PC), phosphatidyl ethanolamine(PE) and phosphatidylinositol(PI). As the result of GC assay for total fatty acid methyl esters of PC, PE and PI in C. albicans treated with citronellol, it was found that the major fatty acid composed of three phospholipid were palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid. Moreover, the pattern of the fatty acid compositions of PC, PE and PI were changed by the oil. Based on the results, the anti-Candida mechanism of citronellol or thymol might be closely associated with disrupting the permeability barriers of the fungal cell wall composition or construction.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.25-38
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• 1986

This paper was intented to charily the cause of an increase of serum guanase activity in rats following injection of $CCI_4$. The cause of increasing serum guanase was focused on the change of guanase activities in both serum and liver, and additionally, these results were compared with the previously known alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Concomitantly the microscopic investigation on the histologic changes, and the determination of lipid peroxides of liver were combined in this experiment for a correlation to observe that the activity of guanase would be effected by the various degree of hepatic injury induced by $CCI_4$. The serum levels of guanase were increased about 2 fold in the fatty change stage (3-12 days), 5.2 fold representing the peak value in necrosis stage (21days), 4.5 fold in early cirrhosis stage (48 days), and 2 fold in severe cirrhosis stage (92 days). These changes of serum guanase activity showed similar patterns to those of ALT activity and lipid peroxides in liver cell. The changes of liver guanase activities showed an increase, whereas ALT activities in liver were markedly decreased. It is likely that the increase of serum guanase activity is based on the excess leaking of guanase into blood by the result of accelerated enzyme synthesis in liver cell of $CCI_4$ intoxicated rats. In addition, the possibility could not be ruled out, however, that the increase of serum guanase activity would be caused by the alteration of membrane permeability.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.91-101
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• 1997

The biosynthesis of phospholipid and the composition of fatty acid in C. ellipsoidea mitochondria treated with antibiotics(cycloheximide, nalidixic acid) during the culture analyzed. The growth of Chlorella and the contents of total lipid in mitochondria treated with antibiotics were lower than those of the control. The synthesis of PC (phosphatidylcholine) and PI(phosphatidylinostiol) were inhibited in the nalidixic acid treatment and also the contents of PC(phosphatidylcholine), PE (phosphatidylethanolamine), PG(phosphatidylglycerol) and PI(phosphatidylinositol) in the cycloheximide treatment were also inhibited. The major fatty acids utilized for the various phospholipids formation in each antibiotics treatment were analyzed stearic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid at the late phase of the culture.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.311-319
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• 1988

This study was designed to elucidate the effects of iron, a well known catalyst of lipid peroxidation, on the contents of phospholipids, unsaturated fatty acids composed in phospholipid molecules and their derivatives, prostaglandins, and the composition changes of fatty acids contained in phospholipids. Iron decreased the contents of phospholipids and its components of unsaturated fatty acids. Catalytic action of iron decreased the composition rates of linoleate and linolenate composed in phospholipid molecules, while that of arachidonate was inclined to increase. The content of arachidonate was increased and that of prostaglandins was decreased without regard to increase the precursor of prostaglandins. It may be concluded that the decreases of prostaglandins and the increase of arachidonate are due to inhibition of the activities of enzyme systems responsible for prostaglandin synthesis by lipid peroxides produced by the catalyst of iron.