• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.188-194
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• 2013

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease, which is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder. Adenophorae Radix (AR) has been used as a traditional medicine for various diseases including strengthening cardiac function, allaying a fever, and easing pain and cough. However, the regulatory effects of AR in intestinal inflammation are not yet understood. This study attempted to determine the effect of AR in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) - induced colitis in mice. The colitis mice were induced by drinking water containing 5% DSS for 7 days. The results showed that mice treated with DSS showed remarkable clinical signs, including weight loss, and reduced colon length. Administration of AR attenuated weight loss, colon shortening and inhibited the levels of interleukin (IL) - 6 in DSS - treated colon tissues. These results provide experimental evidence that AR might be a useful therapeutic medicine for patients with UC.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 2010

As the use of carbon fullerene increases in the chemical industry, the concern over its biological and toxicological effects is also increasing. In this study, the suspension of carbon fullerene (C60) in phosphate buffered saline was prepared and toxicity was investigated using cultured RAW 264.7 and in intraperitoneally injected mice, respectively. The average size of carbon fullerene in the suspension was $53.7{\pm}26.5nm$ when determined by particle size analyzer. Cell viability was significantly decreased by the exposure of carbon fullerene ($0.25\sim2.00\;{\mu}g/ml$) for 96 hrs in the cultured RAW 264.7 cells. Intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) level was also decreased compared to the level of the non-treated control group during the exposure period, while the level of nitric oxide was increased. When mice were intraperitoneally injected with carbon fullerene, serum cytokine levels of IL-1 and IL-6 were increased with the increased expression of inflammatory genes in peritoneal macrophage and T cell distribution in blood lymphocytes. The results suggested inflammatory responses were induced by carbon fullerene.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.100-108
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• 2011

The object of this study was two. One was if Polygonati Rhizoma preparata had a benzo(a)pyrene, the other was to evaluate the single dose toxicity of 9 repetitive steaming and fermenting processed Polygonati Rhizoma, dried root parts of Polygonati Rhozoma preparata extract, in male and female mice. We measured a content of benzo(a)pyrene in Polygonati Rhozoma preparata using a method with HPLC/FLD. And for single dose toxicity, aqueous extracts of Polygonati Rhozoma preparata (EPP; Yield = 35.4 %) was administered to female and male ICR mice as an oral dose of 2,000, 1,000 and 500 mg/kg (body weight) according to the recommendation of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) Guidelines. Animals were monitored for the mortality and changes in body weight, clinical signs and gross observation during 14 days after dosing, upon necropsy; organ weight and histopathology of 12 principle organs were examined. As results, we could not find any mortality, clinical signs, and changes in the body and organ weight except for slight soft feces sporadically detected in EPP treated male mice at 1 day after administration. In addition, no EPP-treatment related abnormal gross findings and changes in histopathology of principle organs were detected except for some sporadic accidental findings. The results obtained in this study suggest that benzo(a)pyrene was not existed in Polygonati Rhozoma preparata and the 50% lethal dose and approximate lethal dose of EPP aqueous extracts in both female and male mice were considered as over 2,000 mg/kg, the limited highest dosage recommended by KFDA Guidelines. However, it also observed that the possibilities of digestive disorders, like soft feces when administered over 500 mg/kg of EPP aqueous extracts in the present study.

• Laboraroty Animal Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.232-238
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• 2018

Animal models have been used to elucidate the pathophysiology of varying diseases and to provide insight into potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Although alternatives to animal testing have been proposed to help overcome potential drawbacks related to animal experiments and avoid ethical issues, their use remains vital for the testing of new drug candidates and to identify the most effective strategies for therapeutic intervention. Particularly, the study of metabolic diseases requires the use of animal models to monitor whole-body physiology. In line with this, the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS) in Korea has established their own animal strains to help evaluate both efficacy and safety during new drug development. The objective of this study was to characterize the response of C57BL/6NKorl mice from the NIFDS compared with that of other mice originating from the USA and Japan in a chemical-induced diabetic condition. Multiple low-dose treatments with streptozotocin were used to generate a type-1 diabetic animal model which is closely linked to the known clinical pathology of this disease. There were no significantly different responses observed between the varying streptozotocin-induced type-1 diabetic models tested in this study. When comparing control and diabetic mice, increases in liver weight and disturbances in serum amino acids levels of diabetic mice were most remarkable. Although the relationship between type-1 diabetes and BCAA has not been elucidated in this study, the results, which reveal a characteristic increase in diabetic mice of all origins are considered worthy of further study.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.887-896
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• 2023

The inflammatory response have been considered as one of important targets for cancer treatment because they play a key role during all steps of tumor development including initiation, promotion, malignant conversion and progression. To investigate the anti-inflammatory response during anti-tumor activity of an aqueous extracts of Ecklonia cava (AEC), alterations on the distribution of mast cells and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor (NF)-κB, inflammasome compositional protein and inflammatory cytokines were examined in CT26 colon tumor-bearing BALB/cKorl syngeneic mice after administrating AEC for five weeks. After treatment of AEC, total weight of tumor and necrotic region of tumor section were significantly decreased compared to vehicle treated group. The number of infiltered mast cells was higher in AEC treated group than vehicle treated group, while the expression levels of COX-2 and iNOS were decreased in AEC treated group. Also, similar decrease pattern were detected in the expression levels of NF-κB, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and caspase-1 (Cas-1) after AEC treatment although the decrease rate was varied. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of three inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were remarkably decreased in AEC treated group compared to vehicle treated group. These results suggest that inhibition of inflammatory response may be tightly associated with anti-tumor activity of AEC in CT26 colon tumor-bearing BALB/cKorl syngeneic mice.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.290-296
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• 2014

The present experiment investigated putative anxiolytic-like effects of quercetin using an elevated plus-maze (EPM) and hole-board apparatus test in mice. Quercetin is a flavonoid widely distributed in nature. Quercetin (1.25, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg) was orally administered to ICR mice 1 h before a behavioral evaluation in the EPM. Control mice were treated with an equal volume of vehicle, and positive control mice were treated with buspirone (2 mg/kg, i.p.). The mice administered quercetin (5 mg/kg) spent a significantly longer percentage of time in the open arms of the EPM and their percentage of entries into the open arms was significantly increased compared to the vehicle-treated controls (p<0.05). The anxiolytic-like activities of quercetin were antagonized by trans-4-aminocrotonic acid (a $GABA_{A-{\rho}}$ agonist, 20 mg/kg) but not by flumazenil (a $GABA_A$ antagonist, 10 mg/kg) or WAY-100635 (a $5-HT_{1A}$ antagonist, 0.3 mg/kg). Moreover, there were no changes in the locomotor activity or myorelaxant effects in any group compared with the vehicle-treated controls. In the hole-board apparatus test, the number of head-dips increased significantly in the single treatment with quercetin (5 mg/kg) group compared to the vehicle-treated controls (p<0.05). These findings suggest that quercetin can promote anxiolytic-like activity, mediated by the GABAergic nervous system, in mice.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1697-1703
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• 2012

Obesity is a risk factor for numerous metabolic diseases. Recently, naturally occurring compounds that may improve obesity have received increasing attention. Xanthigen is a mixture of fucoxanthin and punicic acid derived from brown seaweed and pomegranate seed, respectively, which have been traditionally used for lipid-lowering effects in humans. In this study, we investigated whether Xanthigen attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6N mice. The mice were fed on a normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD plus 1% Xanthigen or HFD plus 1% green tea extract (GTE) for 11 weeks. Food efficiency ratio (FER) and body weight were significantly reduced in mice fed HFD plus Xanthigen compared to HFD-fed mice. Consistent with the results in body weight change, Xanthigen also significantly decreased the weights of epididymal adipose tissue, retroperitoneal adipose tissue, and liver in HFD plus 1% Xanthigen-fed mice. The serum level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol was significantly decreased in HFD plus Xanthigen-fed mice compared to HFD-fed mice. These results suggest that Xanthigen may be useful in the development of a functional health food for anti-obesity.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2016

Objectives : This study was designed to protect effect on atherosclerosis through regulation of low density lipoprotein(LDL) by 70 % ethanol extract Ganoderma lucidum (GL) in LDL receptor knockout mouse (LDLr ko mice) fed Western diet.Methods : The LDLr ko mice were divided into 3 groups ; Control, GL100, and GL300. After grouping, LDLr ko mice were fed Western diet. The GL (100 or 300 mg/kg body weight/day, p.o.) was administered every day for 8 weeks. The body weight and food intake were measured every day. The changes in the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinine, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in serum were analyzed after experiment.Results : The LDLr ko mice fed Western diet were increased body weight gain and blood biochemistry parameters such as ALT, AST, TG, TC, and LDL. However GL300 group significantly reduced the body weight. Also TG, TC, and LDL level did not increase. The levels of ALT, AST, HDL were not changed. Also, LDLr ko mice model liver were observed lipid drop, but GL groups did not appear. Futhermore, histological analysis of GL groups aorta tissue were similar to NOR groups.Conclusions : We confirmed that whether GL administration is protect atherosclerosis or not. As the results, blood biochemistry and histological analysis did not changed much in GL administration groups. This study provides scientific evidence that GL protect the atherosclerosis through the reduction of LDL cholesterol. Therefore GL has potential medicine inhibition of atherosclerosis.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.183-196
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• 2020

The protective effect of pig skin gelatin water extracts (PSW) and the low molecular weight hydrolysates of PSW generated via enzymatic hydrolysis with Flavourzyme® 1000L (LPSW) against scopolamine-induced impairment of cognitive function in mice was determined. Seventy male ICR mice weighing 20-25 g were randomly assigned to seven groups: Control (CON); scopolamine (SCO, 1 mg/kg B.W., intraperitoneally (i.p.); tetrahydroaminoacridine 10 [THA 10, tacrine; 10 mg/kg B.W. per oral (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.)]; PSW 10 (10 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.); PSW 40 (40 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.); LPSW 100 (100 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.); LPSW 400 (400 mg/kg B.W. (p.o.) with SCO (i.p.). All treatment groups, except CON, received scopolamine on the day of the experiment. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity of LPSW 400 at 1 mg/mL was 154.14 μM Trolox equivalent. Administration of PSW and LPSW for 15 weeks did not significantly affect on physical performance of mice. LPSW 400 significantly increased spontaneous alternation, reaching the level observed for THA and CON. The latency time of animals receiving LPSW 400 was higher than that of mice treated with SCO alone in the passive avoidance test, whereas it was shorter in the water maze test. LPSW 400 increased acetylcholine (ACh) content and decreased ACh esterase activity (p<0.05). LPSW 100 and LPSW 400 reduced monoamine oxidase-B activity. These results indicated that LPSW at 400 mg/kg B.W. is a potentially strong antioxidant and contains novel components for the functional food industry.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.827-837
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• 2019

The present study was conducted with the aim to investigate the ameliorative effects of a new soybean product (cheonggukjang) fermented with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SCGB1 (SFBA) in atopic dermatitis (AD) mouse model. Visual evaluation of AD induction in the mice indicated the remarkable control of SFBA in reducing the pathological severity of AD-like skin lesions reported as the SCORAD score of AD clinical symptoms. The results revealed that SFBA reduced dorsal skin and epidermal thickness to a similar extent with prednisolone. Further analysis revealed the dominance of SFBA in restraining mast cell infiltration in the dermis; immunoglobulin-E expression in serum; and TH2 IL-4 cytokine and itch-related IL-31 cytokine in the mice skin and serum. SFBA also suppressed scratching behaviours in mice induced by compound 48/80. Further histological findings also revealed the alleviation of collagen fiber deposition in dermal skin of the AD mice model. These actions of SFBA were examined to be mediated by its suppression of the phosphorylation activation of key signalling molecules such as $NF-{\kappa}B$ and MAPK responsible for the induction of cytokine production. Thus, SFBA can be considered as a promising functional food for managing clinical, histological and immunological spectra associated with AD.