• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2006

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are widely used antidiabetic drugs that activate the nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}(PPAR{\gamma})$, and thereby improve the metabolic abnormalities linking hypertriglyceridemia to diabetes, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. To determine whether the $PPAR{\gamma}$ ligand troglitazone regulates lipid metabolism with sexual dimorphism, we examined the effects of troglitazone on circulating lipids, body weight and the expression of hepatic genes responsible for lipid metabolism in both sexes of C57BL/6J mice. Compared to mice fed a low fat control diet, both sexes of mice fed a troglitazone-treated low fat diet for 14 weeks did not exhibit changes in body weight gain, serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels. However, serum triglycerides were significantly reduced in both sexes of mice, although these effects were more pronounced among males. Furthermore, troglitazone regulated the expression of hepatic genes critical for lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, the magnitudes of which were much higher in males compared to females, as evidenced by results for increased acyl-CoA oxidase and decreased apolipoprotein C-III mRMA levels. These results suggest that $PPAR{\gamma}$ activator troglitazone may exert sexually dimorphic control of serum triglycerides in part through the differential activation of $PPAR{\gamma}$ in liver between male and female mice.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2018

Alterations in sulfur amino acid metabolism are associated with an increased risk of a number of common late-life diseases, which raises the possibility that metabolism of sulfur amino acids may change with age. The present study was conducted to understand the age-related changes in hepatic metabolism of sulfur amino acids in 2-, 6-, 18- and 30-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. For this purpose, metabolite profiling of sulfur amino acids from methionine to taurine or glutathione (GSH) was performed. The levels of sulfur amino acids and their metabolites were not significantly different among 2-, 6- and 18-month-old mice, except for plasma GSH and hepatic homocysteine. Plasma total GSH and hepatic total homocysteine levels were significantly higher in 2-month-old mice than those in the other age groups. In contrast, 30-month-old mice exhibited increased hepatic methionine and cysteine, compared with all other groups, but decreased hepatic S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), S-adenosylhomocysteine and homocysteine, relative to 2-month-old mice. No differences in hepatic reduced GSH, GSH disulfide, or taurine were observed. The hepatic changes in homocysteine and cysteine may be attributed to upregulation of cystathionine ${\beta}-synthase$ and down-regulation of ${\gamma}-glutamylcysteine$ ligase in the aged mice. The elevation of hepatic cysteine levels may be involved in the maintenance of hepatic GSH levels. The opposite changes of methionine and SAM suggest that the regulatory role of SAM in hepatic sulfur amino acid metabolism may be impaired in 30-month-old mice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1115-1118
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• 2012

Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a flavoring compound derived from garlic, is considered to have cancer chemopreventive potential in experimental animals and humans. This study was designated to examine possible chemopreventive effects of DAS on colon carcinogenesis using genetically engineered transgenic $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice, a well-established animal model for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and sporadic colorectal cancer. Male C57BL/6J-$Apc^{Min/+}$ mice were divided into three groups. Animals of group 1 were placed on the basal diet (AIN-76A) as non-treated controls. Animals of groups 2 and 3 were given DAS-containing diets (in doses of 100 and 300 ppm, respectively). All mice were sacrificed at the end of week 10 of the experiment. Histopathological investigation revealed that the incidence of colonic polyps was decreased dose-dependently by 19% (13/16) in group 2 and by 32% (13/20) in group 3 compared to the 100% incidence (10/10) in group 1. The multiplicity of colonic polyps per mouse was also slightly decreased by DAS treatment ($1.88{\pm}0.35$ in group 2 and $1.63{\pm}0.36$ in group 3) compared to $2.00{\pm}0.39$ in group 1. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the numbers of total polyps per mouse in the small intestine between the groups. Taken together, we suggest that DAS may exert promising inhibitory effects on colon carcinogenesis in the transgenic $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 2024

The objective of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity effects of adding Momordica charantia (MC) and Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum (CZ) extracts to drinking water on obesity-induced mice. A total of 84 eight-week-old C57BL/6N male mice with an initial body weight (BW) of 28.11 ± 1.39 g were used in this study. All treatments were fed a high-fat diet for d 28. Mice were randomly divided into seven drinking treatments (six replicate each treatment) based on the initial BW. Treatments are as follows: control (CON), normal tap water, MC 1, CON with 1% MC aqueous extract, MC 2, CON with 2% MC aqueous extract, CZ 1, CON with 1% CZ aqueous extract, CZ 2, CON with CZ aqueous extract (2%), MCZ 1, CON with 1% MC aqueous extract and 1% CZ aqueous extract, MCZ 2, CON with 2% MC aqueous extract and 2% CZ aqueous extract. During the entire period, the CZ 1, MCZ 1, and MCZ 2 significantly decreased (p < 0.05) gain to feed than CON. The CON significantly higher (p < 0.05) water intake than other treatments on d 0 to 14. The MCZ 1 significantly decreased (p < 0.05) relative (ratio of absolute organ weight to BW) organ weights, including retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (RWAT) weight and inguinal white adipose tissue (IWAT) weight, compared to CON. In conclusion, our study suggests that there was no significant difference in the anti-obesity effects between MC and CZ, and MCZ 1 has synergistic effects by regulating adipose tissue.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.351-357
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• 1999

Hair growth effects of Sangmosu have been evaluated in C57BL/6 mice. Animals were topically treated with Sangmosu (50 or $100{\;}{\mu}l/mouse$) for 40 days on the back of shaved area. Twenty days after treatment, hair growth effects were significantly observed in both female and male mice. There was no sex difference although 30 days after treatment female mice were shown to be more effective at the dose of $50{\;}{\mu}l/mouse$ than males. These data demonstrate that Sangmosu is very effective in hair growth effects in animals and thus it may be applicable to humans.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.327-336
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• 2008

Many herbal extracts have been reported to have a preventive or therapeutic effect of on diabetes mellitus. Momordica Charantia commonly known as bitter melon or karela has been reported to be a medicinal plant for treating various diseases including cancers and diabetes. The objectives of this study were to investigate anti-diabetic effects of bitter melon (BM) as determined by blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance test (GTT), insulin tolerance test (ITT), insulin and HbA1C activities in serum, serum biochemical and lipid levels, histopathology, immunohistochemistry and AMPK-${\alpha}2$ expression of skeletal muscle in male C57BL/6J db/db mice. There were four experimental groups including vehicle control, BM 10 mg/kg, BM 50 mg/kg, and BM 250 mg/kg. BM at doses of 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg was orally administered to the diabetic mice everyday for 8 weeks. The treatments of BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg significantly decreased the blood glucose level in the diabetic mice compared with vehicle control (p < 0.05). The treatments of BM 10 and 50 mg/kg significantly decreased the GTT, ITT and HbA1c levels in the diabetic mice compared with vehicle control (p < 0.05). All BM groups significantly decreased GOT, GPT, BUN, LDL and glucose levels in the diabetic mice compared with the vehicle control mice (p < 0.05). The livers of mice treated with the BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg showed a remarkable decrease in the number of lipid droplets compared with the vehicle control. The pancreas of mice treated with the BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg showed a remarkable increase in insulin concentration of ${\beta}$-cells compared with the vehicle control. In addition, the treatments of BM 10, 50, and 250 mg/kg actually increased the expression of AMPK-${\alpha}2$ compared with vehicle control. These results suggest that BM has a respectable anti-diabetic effect resulting from inhibition of blood glucose level and lipid level in serum and that consumption of BM may give a benefit for controlling diabetes mellitus in humans.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.381-386
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• 2011

This study investigated the effect of herbal extracts fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum (MBN) on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice and HaCaT cells. Five week old mice were applied with MBN topically (0.2 mL) once per for 21 days. Hair regrowth was evaluated by gross examination and verified by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), and transforming growth factor-beta1 ($TGF{\beta}1$), relevant to hair growth, were examined. The data revealed that MBN successfully promoted hair growth in both male and female mice at a dose between 200-500 mg/kg and improved hair thickness. The VEGF and KGF genes were expressed in a dose-dependant manner, whereas $TGF{\beta}1$ was not expressed. Moreover, nitric oxide was significantly increased, suggesting an improvement in blood flow. These results indicate that MBN effectively promoted hair growth and gene expression relevant to hair growth in an animal model.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.48-52
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• 2004

DA-11004 is a synthetic, potent NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDPc) inhibitor where $IC_{50}$ for IDPc is 1.49 $\mu$M. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of DA-11004 on the high fat high sucrose (HF)-induced obesity in male C57BL/6J mice. After completing a 8-week period of experimentation, the mice were sacrificed 1hr after the last DA-11004 treatment and their blood, liver, and adipose tissues (epididymal and retroperitoneal fat)were collected. There was a significant difference in the pattern of increasing body weight between the HF control and the DA-11004 group. In the DA-11004 (100 mg/kg) treated group the increase in body weight significantly declined and a content of epididymal fat and retroperitoneal fat was also significantly decreased as opposed to the HF control. DA-11004 (100 mg/kg) inhibited the IDPc activity, and thus, NADPH levels in plasma and the levels of free fatty acid (FFA) or glucose in plasma were less than the levels of the HF control group. In conclusion, DA-11004 inhibited the fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissues via IDPc inhibition, and it decreased the plasma glucose levels and FFA in HF diet-induced obesity of C57BL/6J mice.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.219-231
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• 2011

Objectives : This study was designed to determine the effects of the GGEx18 ethyl acetate fraction(EF) on body weight gain, feeding efficiency ratio, and obesity-related factors in plasma as well as histology of liver and adipose tissues using high fat diet-fed male C57BL/6N obese mice. Methods : 8 weeks old, high fat diet-fed obese male mice were divided into 5 groups: C57BL/6N normal, control, EF(1), EF(2) and EF(3). After mice were treated with EF for 9 weeks, we measured body weight gain, food intake, feeding efficiency ratio, fat weight, plasma leptin and lipid levels. We also analysed histology of liver and adipose tissues on high fat diet-fed male C57BL/6N obese mice. Results : Compared with control, EF-treated mice had significantly lower body weight gain and feeding efficiency ratio. Consistent with the effects on body weight gain, EF significantly decreased the adipose tissue weight compared with control. Consistent with the effects on feeding efficiency ratio, EF significantly decreased plasma leptin concentrations compared with control. EF reduced the size of adipocytes as well as hepatic lipid accumulation compared with control. EF seems to be safe since not only the plasma levels of ALT and AST are within the normal range, but also EF did not show any toxic effects on organs. EF(3) was most effective among EF(1), EF(2), and EF(3) at doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, respectively. Conclusions : These results demonstrate that EF effectively reduces body weight gain, feeding efficiency ratio in high fat diet-fed obese mice, leading to the modulation of obesity. In addition, EF decreases the size of adipocytes and improves plasma lipids and controls hepatic lipid accumulation, suggesting that EF may act as a therapeutic agent for obesity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Consumption of cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, has a minimal effect on circulating cholesterol levels in healthy humans. To gain insight, we investigated whether phospholipids rich in eggs (EPL) interfere with intestinal cholesterol absorption in vivo. MATERIALS/METHODS: To investigate the acute effect of EPL on intestinal cholesterol absorption, male C57BL/6J mice were orally administered with 6, 11, or 19 mg of EPL for three days. We also tested the effect of chronic EPL consumption on cholesterol metabolism in the small intestine and the liver in mice with diet-induced hypercholesterolemia. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high fat/high cholesterol (HF/HC; 35% fat, 0.25% cholesterol, w/w) diet for 4 weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia, and subsequently the mice were either fed 0, 0.4 or 0.8% (w/w) of EPL for 6 weeks. RESULTS: Intestinal cholesterol absorption was significantly decreased by the highest dose of acute EPL administration compared to control. Chronic EPL supplementation did not significantly alter intestinal cholesterol absorption nor plasma levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In the small intestine and the liver, EPL supplementation minimally altered the expression of genes which regulate cellular cholesterol levels. CONCLUSION: Although chronic EPL consumption was not able to counteract hypercholesterolemia in HF/HC-fed mice, acute EPL administration decreased intestinal cholesterol absorption. This study provides in vivo evidence that acute administration of PLs in eggs prevent cholesterol absorption in the intestine, suggesting a mechanism for a minimal effect of egg consumption on circulating cholesterol levels.